Nashua’s Campbell issues apology over duck deaths

State Rep. David Campbell offered an apology after striking several wild ducks with his car outside a Nashua hotel last week.

Meanwhile, Nashua police are pledging an open, thorough and impartial investigation into the matter, which unfolded late on the evening of Dec. 23 outside the main entrance of the Crowne Plaza Hotel.

Campbell, D-Nashua, issued a statement early Sunday evening addressing controversy over the episode, which was first reported in The Sunday Telegraph.

“I am deeply sorry that I accidentally ran over several wild ducks near the Crowne Plaza last Monday night,” Campbell wrote. “This occurred while some people were feeding the ducks in the roadway nearby. I know it greatly upset them, as it did me. In spite of the accusations to the contrary, this was accidental, unintentional and deeply affected me then and now.”

The incident was brought to light by retired Marine officer James Murphy, a Florida resident who was preparing to check into the hotel Monday evening when Campbell’s car collided with what he described as a pack of about 20 ducks in the road.

After flying into Manchester airport, Murphy took a shuttle to the Crowne Plaza. A group of ducks that inhabit the hotel grounds waddled up to the main entrance when he arrived, stopping beside his luggage.

Murphy said he had just tossed the ducks some crackers when he spotted Campbell’s dark sedan approaching from a side parking lot near the hotel entrance.

“All of a sudden, this 5 Series BMW comes up, it’s going about 15 miles an hour, and then when he gets to the ducks, it’s not like it even slowed down,” Murphy said. “It just crushed all of the ducks.”

Murphy said he believes as many as six ducks were killed and a handful of others returned to the pond at the Crowne Plaza with apparent injuries. Murphy said he followed the BMW a few dozen feet down the road, took a picture of the license plate and called police.

Campbell left the scene before the officers arrived and later was questioned about the incident.

In a brief interview last week, Campbell acknowledged hitting the ducks, but declined to comment further until a police investigation into the matter concludes. Campbell then issued a statement Sunday, explaining that he felt it was necessary to address the situation.

Campbell wrote that he apologized to witnesses for striking the ducks, but left the area because one of those witnesses – Murphy – became “highly agitated and confrontational.”

“He cursed, continuously yelled, and approached me in a threatening manner,” Campbell wrote. “After I parked my car, his aggressive behavior and threats continued. To diffuse a situation that was becoming increasingly hostile, I walked across the parking lot to my office building.”

Campbell said he reported the incident to the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department, and also spoke with the management of the Crowne Plaza. Campbell said he has cooperated fully with the Nashua police investigation.

“Once again, I extend my deepest apology to everyone involved, including the public,” he wrote.

Nashua police confirmed last week that they are investigating the incident, but provided few other details. In an email Monday, Police Chief John Seusing said the department is taking the matter seriously.

“The fact that this incident involves a state (representative) will not have any bearing on the outcome,” Seusing wrote. “This incident was very troubling to us and as I mentioned it will be looked into thoroughly. At this time it is still under investigation.”

Attempts to find out whether the injured ducks were cared for were unsuccessful.

Representatives from the Crowne Plaza did not return a call seeking comment last week. Nashua’s animal control officer was unavailable for comment Monday.

Police are still evaluating whether Campbell’s actions ran afoul of any state laws, but state wildlife officials say the seven-term House member and Nashua attorney was not required to report the collision with the ducks to police.

New Hampshire Fish and Game officer Jim Juneau said last week that motorists are only required to report collisions with domestic dogs.

However, in some rare cases, the state has cited drivers for intentionally running down wildlife in the past. Juneau said in one example, a driver was sanctioned for accelerating and swerving onto the shoulder of the road to strike wild turkeys.

Juneau said such an act could be construed as hunting turkeys off-season, or by illegal means.

“I do know in the past we had incidences where there was clear intent on the part of an operator in striking wild animals,” he said. “This is not something that happens often that comes to our attention.”

Murphey, the crazy idiot who turned him in was feeding the ducks on the highway.... He should be arrested. Send him back to Florida to feed gators in his backyard! If ducks can’t move out of the way for a 15 MPH car, they deserve the Darwin Award. Shame they did not get to be a meal for someone.

“Murphy said he had just tossed the ducks some crackers when he spotted Campbell’s dark sedan approaching from a side parking lot near the hotel entrance.

Maybe I am a bit warped as I found humor in the movie “Mother, Jugs, and Speed” when Bill Cosby would turn on the ambulance siren every time the nuns were crossing the street, just to see them scatter!

I grew up on a farm with plenty of free ranged animals, including ducks, chickens and geese. You learn very quickly to teach them to respect the vehicles as otherwise you would be constantly stopping and waiting. I do not swerve or slam on the brakes for animals on the road, although I will slow down as I have been to many serious accidents where people swerving to miss a small animal harmed or killed another person.

Next incarnation those ducks will be much smarter!

Thank you for posting this disturbing story. It is a perfect illustration of the kind of psychopath found in great abundance in political offices throughout the land.

To those blaming the ex-Marine who fed them. No, these ducks were not being fed on a busy highway. They were near the hotel entrance where there is pond nearby. Many hotels often have these types of features because guests find them relaxing.

Here is the hotel entrance:

It is located far from the street and is reached via this minor access road. Note the almost L curve in the road that is designed to slow motorists down. I doubt that one could take the turn at more than 15 mph comfortably. This is not even the road that the ducks were on. It is just the road that one needs to take to get to where the hotel entrance is.

As you can see from the map, there is a pond where the ducks hang out. It is off the road and near the hotel entrance. The ducks have to walk in the parking area of the hotel near the entrance where one would presume that drivers would be using great caution. A prudent speed for a hotel entrance would be more like 5 mph rather than 15 mph and zero if you saw ducks in the road with someone feeding them.

The grace of God demands that we treat animals humanely.

For what happens to the children of man and what happens to the beasts is the same; as one dies, so dies the other. They all have the same breath, and man has no advantage over the beasts, for all is vanity. - Ecclesiastes 3:19

One sign sure sign of a disturbed individual is animal cruelty:

WikiPedia - Cruelty to animals

Psychological disorders

One of the known warning signs of certain psychopathologies, including antisocial personality disorder, also known as psychopathic personality disorder, is a history of torturing pets and small animals, a behavior known as zoosadism. According to the New York Times, "[t]he FBI has found that a history of cruelty to animals is one of the traits that regularly appears in its computer records of serial rapists and murderers, and the standard diagnostic and treatment manual for psychiatric and emotional disorders lists cruelty to animals a diagnostic criterion for conduct disorders.[81] "A survey of psychiatric patients who had repeatedly tortured dogs and cats found all of them had high levels of aggression toward people as well, including one patient who had murdered a young boy."[81] Robert K. Ressler, an agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation's behavioral sciences unit, studied serial killers and noted,"Murderers like this (Jeffrey Dahmer) very often start out by killing and torturing animals as kids."[82]

Cruelty to animals is one of the three components of the Macdonald triad, indicators of violent antisocial behavior in children and adolescents. According to the studies used to form this model, cruelty to animals is a common (but not universal) behavior in children and adolescents who grow up to become serial killers and other violent criminals.

It has also been found that children who are cruel to animals have often witnessed or been victims of abuse themselves.[83] In two separate studies cited by the Humane Society of the United States roughly one-third of families suffering from domestic abuse indicated that at least one child had hurt or killed a pet.[84]

“if a car going 15 miles an hour in a hotel driveway can’t stop until ducks are shooed from the roadway, the driver has something wrong in his head”

He’s a politician of many terms driving a BMW and in his mind that makes him very important. He is too important to wait for some tame ducks to clear the roadway. The only thing that actually bothers him about this is that Americans hate animal cruelty, and the USMC officer caught him in the act and made it all public.

I don’t care what Party he represents, as most of them have the same I’m above it all mentality (especially after feeding off the public with numerous terms in office), and that was one reason the Tea Party gained steam.

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