Selectman found guilty in road rage melee

LACONIA — A Belmont selectman, charged of assaulting a man following a road rage incident, was found guilty of a lesser charge Tuesday.

Jon Pike, 70, of Belmont, pleaded no contest to a charge of disorderly conduct. Sitting in Fourth Circuit Court-District Division-Laconia, Judge Michael Garner found Pike guilty and fined him $1,000 with $250 suspended on condition of one year of good behavior. When the $180 in penalty assessment is added to the $750 balance of the fine, the total amount Pike needs to pay the state is $930.

Standing next to his attorney, Matt Lahey, Pike spoke only to respond to questions from the judge.

Pike and two other men had initially been charged with simple assault, stemming from a fight on April 19 at the Dunkin Donuts store on South Main Street which followed a road rage incident that occurred a short time before on Route 106 in Belmont.

In June, Pike pleaded not guilty to the assault charge.

The others two charged in connection with the incident were Alan Young, 60, of Belmont, and David Hodges, 52, of Salisbury.

Hodges pleaded no contest to simple assault in August. He was found guilty, fined $1,000 with $250 suspended on condition of nine months good behavior, and ordered to perform 25 hours of community service.

The charge against Young was dropped earlier this month. City Prosecutor James Sawyer said Tuesday he decided to nol pros the case because, after interviewing witnesses, he concluded there was insufficient evidence against Young to warrant bringing the case against him forward.

Hodges, Pike, and Young were accused of confronting Ian Burns, 33, of Gilmanton. Minutes before the confrontation, Burns, who was driving a pickup truck on Route 106 in Belmont, allegedly sped into the breakdown lane of the highway and passed several vehicles.

The three men confronted Burns inside the coffee-and-doughnut shop, whereupon Burns proceeded to leave. But when Burns reached the store’s vestibule, Young pushed Burns, causing him to spill coffee on himself and Hodges punched Burns in the face, according to police reports.

At Tuesday’s plea hearing, Garner also ordered Pike not to initiated any contact with Burns in the future.