*** FLASH! *** MAN WHO DROVE INTO SANDWICH BANK RETURNS TO CAPE, DRIVES INTO FALMOUTH BUSINESS, SOURCES SAY [NEW UPDATES ONGOING…]
ABOVE: Insert 1. A vehicle reportedly driven by Kevin Coelho crashes through the front door of TD Bank North in Sandwich on Monday morning, January 13, 2025. (SPD photo/HN edits) Cellphone Image 2. The view from the backseat of a Falmouth Police cruiser shows the vehicle reportedly driven by Kevin Coelho after it crashed into a business in Falmouth. The image shows the vehicle after it had already backed out of the building. (Source image/HN edits)
*** NEW DETAILS *** SEE ONGOING UPDATES BELOW ***
FALMOUTH, MASSACHUSETTS – [DEVELOPING] – [HN NOTES] – THIS JUST IN…
… the man accused of intentionally crashing his vehicle into the TD Bank North in Sandwich this past Monday morning – January 13, 2025 – at around 3:20 a.m., is now accused of returning to the Cape in another vehicle and intentionally crashing into a Falmouth business two days later, on Wednesday – January 15, 2025 – at around 3:09 a.m., sources say.
* This is a DEVELOPING STORY and HN is gathering additional details. HN will update this report below as those official details continue to become available. Check back for ongoing updates…
On Monday – January 13, 2025 – HN spoke with a woman who said she was Coelho’s girlfriend. She was very worried and reported that Coelho had been released back into the public after his arraignment in Barnstable District Court on Monday. He reportedly did not have his cellphone and was last seen wandering around Barnstable Village. The girlfriend was worried about his safety as she believed he was suffering from a sudden mental health emergency. According to the girlfriend, Coelho is an army veteran who served in Afghanistan, where he was injured and received a Purple Heart medal. She told HN that Coelho is normally a very friendly, selfless guy who would give the shirt off of his back if anyone needed it. He was not acting like himself, and she was very concerned.
In short, HN began reaching out to trusted law enforcement contacts on the Barnstable Police Department and they were already proactively looking into the situation based on concerning public comments seen on an HN Facebook post. The search was underway.
A short time later, HN was notified that Coelho had been safely located and was with a family member at an off-Cape location. It was a relief for many who were concerned about Coelho’s safety.
This “morning” (which was actually 2:00 p.m. for normal people who don’t work the overnights), HN was awakened by a call from someone close to Coelho. According to this person, Coelho had managed to get behind the wheel of a vehicle belonging to his parents. (Whether he was allowed to take the vehicle is still uncertain.) Coelho then reportedly picked up his girlfriend and began driving back toward Cape Cod, according to this source.
NOTE: Coelho has no known relations or contacts on Cape Cod, according to sources…
Coelho was behaving normally at times while driving to the Cape Wednesday morning, at one point pulling over and taking out $20 in cash from an ATM machine, later used to make purchases at a fast-food restaurant, according to this “morning’s” source. At some point during the drive things changed. Coelho reportedly began acting irrational and paranoid, worried they were being followed. He allegedly told his girlfriend he did not want to die alone (apparently meaning he was taking her with him) prior to crashing into the business in Falmouth, according to the source. HN was unsure of the name of the business at the time of this report, but it was possibly a hardware store or lumber yard. (HN is working on gathering official details… stay tuned…)
According to the source, the girlfriend was transported to Falmouth Police Headquarters to find a ride home while Coelho was transported from the new crash scene in an ambulance. It was reportedly his second intentional crash into a building within the span of three days. At this point in the call, the source was worried because Coelho’s whereabouts was once again unknown.
Based on a Sandwich Police report (see earlier HN reports), along with information from this morning’s caller, HN became concerned Coelho had access to firearms belonging to him in Rhode Island. HN became concerned about his safety, along with the safety of the general public… especially since I was being told he was now allegedly making comments which seemed suicidal/homicidal in nature… and all while allegedly crashing into buildings on purpose.
HN began calling police sources again, hoping the system would not fail Coelho again by releasing him back into the public when he is clearly in some sort of crisis.
Eventually, through trusted police sources, HN was able to confirm that Coelho was taken to Falmouth District Court where he was arraigned on charges related to the second building he had allegedly crashed into this week.
At the time of this report, and according to a police source, Coelho is said to still be safely in custody and is expected to remain so…
… and for the good of the suspect and community, let’s hope the local courts do not drop the ball again in this case!
UPDATE – 1/16/2025 – Based on Falmouth Police and Falmouth FD radio transmissions from the HN “video” below:
The crash into the building happened at the Mid-Cape Home Centers, 81 Locust Street in Falmouth on Wednesday – January 15, 2025 – shortly after 3:00 a.m. Falmouth FD rescue responded to evaluate a patient for a possible leg injury. Police called the building inspector to the scene… but according to FD, the building’s structure was apparently not compromised, just the front doors to the business. A crime scene photographer (“CIO”) was called to document the damage. The driver was transported to Falmouth Hospital in a Falmouth FD ambulance with a Falmouth police officer on board…
UPDATE – 1/17/2025 – Key points based on police reports and other sources:
– Damage to the TD North Bank in Sandwich, including the front entrance doors, front interior doors, and damage caused by three car strikes to the rear of the building, reportedly comes to an estimated total of $100,000.
– A Sandwich Police sergeant arriving on scene at the crash into the TD North Bank reported that Coelho was calm and cooperative when he encountered him standing inside the bank. Coelho reportedly said that he climbed over his crashed vehicle, broken glass and doors in order to see if he had any money to take out, apparently indicating from an ATM inside the bank’s glass vestibule area. Coelho asked if the officer knew how to check to see if the electronics inside his car were hacked. Coelho reportedly told officers he would not exit the bank until the “CIA” arrived. Despite not leaving the bank without the CIA being present, Coelho was otherwise polite and complied with all other requests. Coelho asked officers if he could use the bank’s telephones to make more phone calls, as he stood eating candy from the bank counter. Meanwhile, the fire department knocked out a side window to the vestibule area to give police access to where Coelho was standing inside the bank. Coelho was placed under arrest without issue. He was read his rights and refused to answer questions, saying he would only speak with the CIA. “Kevin’s completely calm, detached manners and behaviors were at odds with the violent behavior of ramming a car into a building several times, and forcing his way into the bank,” the sergeant wrote. The sergeant also reported he had spoken with a charge nurse at Cape Cod Hospital, stating Coelho should be evaluated by a mental health expert. He was advised that it’s hospital policy not to evaluate any person under arrest and that the court would have to evaluate him after his arraignment if necessary.
– Coelho’s red sedan was towed from the Sandwich bank crash scene and impounded in a pen at the Sandwich Police Department, where a detective discovered a dash camera and Iphone inside the vehicle. According to a bank employee who had seen the surveillance footage, the detective learned Coelho had entered the bank, called 911 and also jumped the teller counter and manually tripped the panic alarm button under the teller desk. Bank records reportedly showed that Coelho was never an employee at any TD Bank location.
– Coelho was reportedly released from Barstable District Court after his arraignment. He was last seen in the Barnstable Village area that Monday. Police reports indicate concerned friends and family were calling around looking for him, reporting that he was missing. Coelho was eventually located off-Cape, later on Monday.
– Sandwich Police had charged Coelho with 4 felonies, including Breaking into a Depository, and 3 counts of felonious Vandalism of Property.
UPDATE – 1/18/2025 – Key points based on police reports and other sources:
For the alleged intentional crash into the Mid-Cape Home Center in Falmouth… along with allegedly holding his passenger against her will… Coelho was officially charged with the following criminal offenses in Falmouth District Court:
- Kidnapping (Felony)
- Witness Intimidation (Felony)
- Negligent Operation of a Motor Vehicle (Misdemeanor)
- Malicious Destruction of Property (Felony)
[HN “VIDEO” – PRESS PLAY]
* The details contained in the above report are based on emergency radio transmissions and information from various sources. The defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
P.S. – Today’s Hytown Vignette is a brought to you by Rosalyn Tureck… [CLICK IT/CRANK IT! HEADPHONES ABSOLUTELY OBLIGATORY!]
