PORTSMOUTH — A Greenland felon arrested last week for possessing a weapon allegedly told a friend that he would shoot before going back to jail and that “(Cullen Mutrie) should have shot more officers,” according to a police affidavit.

Joshua Nieves, 25, of 265 Portsmouth Avenue in Greenland was arrested at the Gosling Meadows neighborhood of Portsmouth on Thursday and is facing two counts of felon in possession of a dangerous weapon, one count of violating a protective order and one count of possession of drugs.

Police allegedly found marijuana in a pack of cigarettes in Nieves' pants pocket when he was arrested, according to the affidavit filed by Greenland Police Chief Tara Laurent.

Nieves was convicted of armed robbery in 2004 in Hillsborough County and received a state prison sentence of two to five years.

In April, a protective order was filed against Nieves prohibiting him from possessing firearms.

According to Laurent's affidavit, on Aug. 15, Newington police arrested Stephen Welch for theft. Welch told police that his girlfriend is Nieves' ex-girlfriend, and both had seen Nieves with weapons, a MAC-11 and a 9 millimeter pistol. Welch and the ex-girlfriend told police Nieves kept the weapons wrapped in a blanket in his vehicle.

Welch told police that Nieves had said he would “shoot before going back to jail” and that “(Cullen Mutrie) should have shot more officers.”

Mutrie shot and injured four police officers and killed Greenland Police Chief Michael Maloney when a drug task force team attempted to execute a search warrant on his Greenland home in April.

Police executed a search warrant for Nieves home and vehicle on Aug. 16 and arrested him in Portsmouth with the assistance of the Seacoast Emergency Response Team.

Nieves was arraigned in Exeter Circuit Court on Friday and is being held on $100,000 cash bail. He is scheduled to appear in Portsmouth Circuit Court on Wednesday for a probable cause hearing.
gmacalaster@newstote.com