From warrants served on the streets to camps torn down behind alleys and fire stations, Portsmouth police and code enforcement spent the day chasing homeless-related calls across the city. What looks like a random series of incidents is really just another window into the larger crisis playing out in public view.
Sleeping Bag & Open Warrants
At 7:45 a.m., witnesses spotted a man slumped under a sleeping bag at 11th and Gay. Officers checked on him and discovered he had open warrants for failing to appear in court on two separate open container citations this summer.
- Police arrested Christopher Dillow and booked him into jail.
- He appeared in Portsmouth Municipal Court, pleaded no contest, and received a suspended fine—before being released back onto the streets.
Camps & Code Enforcement
By mid-morning, officers were busy with encampments:
- 9:43 a.m. – Police assisted City Code Enforcement in cleaning up a camp in an alley behind Waller Street. A junk vehicle was towed from the site.
- 10:30 a.m. – Firefighters at the Hilltop Station reported homeless campers in the woods behind the building had cranked up music in a vehicle and were even cutting down trees. Police gave them until Monday to clear out.
Warrants Behind a Salon
At 11:51 a.m., callers reported a silver car parked behind Classi Cuts & Tanning with a man and woman either sleeping or passed out inside.
- Police detained a man with two open warrants.
- After a medical clearance at the hospital, he was booked into jail.
- The man was identified as Conway Kilcoyne, charged with probation and parole violations.
- Kilcoyne was convicted of drug abuse in April and still faces an open felony case for aggravated possession of heroin.
Screaming in Tracy Park
By 6:30 p.m., calls shifted to Tracy Park, where a man was reported acting erratically and screaming with “a ton of papers” in his possession.
- Officers determined he was not on drugs but suffering from severe mental health issues.
- He refused medical help, leaving officers little choice but to let him go.
The Bigger Picture
These cases highlight a repeating pattern in Portsmouth:
- People with open warrants for low-level offenses arrested, only to be released.
- Encampments dismantled, only to spring up again elsewhere.
- Individuals with serious mental health issues refusing treatment, left to wander.
Police, firefighters, and code enforcement can clear camps and write reports, but without psychiatric beds, crisis centers, or transitional housing, the cycle repeats daily.