Gun Threat And Domestic Violence Case Against Man From Sanbornton Continues To Be Mediated In Court

CONCORD, NH — A case against a Sanbornton man, facing two felony charges accusing him of threatening a former girlfriend with a gun, remains in criminal mediation after another hearing last week in Merrimack County Superior Court.

Michael Hoey, 28, of Drake Road in Sanbornton, was indicted on domestic violence-criminal threat; fear of bodily injury and reckless conduct-deadly weapon charges in September 2025. Limited information is available about the accusations, which date back to 2022. The charges, according to court paperwork, were a direct indictment, meaning Hoey was not arrested by police but was instead indicted by a grand jury, based on a police investigation.

Hoey is accused of threatening an intimate partner, a woman in her early 30s, “when he pointed (a) gun at her head,” placing her “in danger of serious bodily injury.” The incident reportedly occurred between June 1 and Oct. 31, 2022, in Concord.

After being indicted, he was released on personal recognizance at his arraignment on Oct. 6, 2025. A dispositional conference was held on Dec. 10, 2025, and a sentencing memorandum for the conference was submitted on Feb. 9, but Judge Dan St. Hilaire sealed it at the request of the defense.

In mid-February, Hoey petitioned the court and was granted a motion to continue due to a death in his family.

There were more hearings on April 6 and May 13.

Editor’s note: This post was derived from information supplied by the Merrimack County Superior Court and does not indicate a conviction. This link explains how to request the removal of a name from New Hampshire Patch police reports.

Hoey was in court on June 24 with his attorney, Shea Nolan Sennett, and prosecutor Melissa Kowalewski of the Merrimack County Attorney’s Office. The attorneys approached the bench to speak with St. Hilaire about the case and later agreed to hold another criminal mediation hearing on Aug. 28.

2024 Stalking Charge Reduced

In July 2024, Hoey was arrested on stalking and violation of a protective order charges in Concord.

According to a court affidavit, in November 2023, the same victim in the gun threat case called police to report receiving a Snapchat invitation from an account using elements of his name, so she believed it was Hoey, “given the username’s similarity” to him, in violation of a restraining order, according to a court affidavit. She did not accept the request, the report stated. The woman gave the police Hoey’s cellphone number and other information, as well as her account information, according to a report.

The next day, the officer issued a reservation request from Snapchat and reviewed the court protection order, which was active, and issued in July, the officer said.

On Nov. 30, 2023, a detective involved in computer investigations reviewed the case. That detective noted that while Snapchat had preserved the suspect’s account, it had not preserved the victim’s.

On Dec. 1, 2023, a search warrant was requested for both accounts and approved. Nineteen days later, the detective received the information from Snapchat. It confirmed the victim received the request and rejected it, the officer wrote. Information about the suspect was also gathered from the search, including an AOL email account, the suspect’s IP address, and an image, “believed to be Hoey,” an affidavit said.

On Jan. 4, 2024, a preservation request was made to Breezeline regarding the IP address and to Yahoo, which owned the AOL and AIM services at the time. The cellphone number was linked to Hoey and an address on Jackson Street in Laconia, the report stated. The detective also made a request to Verizon and for grand jury subpoenas through the Merrimack County Attorney’s Office.

On Feb. 5, 2024, police found out from Verizon that the number was traced to a reseller, Tracfone, and a preservation letter was sent to them. A month later, Yahoo provided police with information linking the still-active account to Hoey. Tracfone also provided account information linking the phone back to the AIM email address.

In April 2024, the officer searched for information about Hoey online and traced him back to the Jackson Street address in Laconia.

On May 24, 2024, a warrant was issued for Hoey’s arrest. He was picked up in mid-July 2024, arraigned by video, and held. Hoey pleaded not guilty to both charges.

He was scheduled to go to trial on Nov. 5, 2024, but failed to appear, according to court records. A $500 cash warrant was issued for his arrest.

Hoey was found and arraigned via video on Nov. 22, 2024. He was released on personal recognizance with a Feb. 18, 2025, trial date.

On Feb. 18, 2025, Hoey pleaded nolo contendere to disorderly conduct, and the stalking charge was nolle prossed. He received a 180-day sentence, all suspended for two years of good behavior, with no victim conduct.

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