Man charged in hit-and-run crash that killed New Hampshire Air National Guard commander

DOVER, N.H. (AP) — A New Hampshire man who told police he had been drinking has been charged in a collision and collision killing the commander of the state’s Air National Guard, authorities said.

Paul Clement, 81, of Rochester, was indicted Oct. 17 by a Strafford County grand jury on charges of negligent homicide and conduct after an accident resulting in death or injury. He remains free on personal recognizance and will be arraigned on November 5.

A telephone message seeking comment was left Monday for his attorney, Andrew Cotrupi.

Brig. Gen. John Pogorek was securing a load to his trailer along a road in Rochester on July 8 when he was struck by an SUV that drove by without stopping, police said. Investigators later found the vehicle and Clement. He was arrested in August on charges of conduct and police said in court documents that he had been drinking beforehand, Foster’s Daily Democrat reported.

Pogorek, 57, graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1989 and joined the New Hampshire Air National Guard in 1999. He was appointed commander in 2022 and served as a top advisor to Governor Chris Sununu and the state’s adjutant general, overseeing all operations. at Pease Air National Guard base.