Massachusetts authorities resumed a search Tuesday morning for a Gardner man who is being sought in connection with the death of his wife, following the discovery of his car in a wooded area on Monday night.
At about 5 p.m. Monday, a white 2013 BMW 320 was found in a wooded area of Gardner near the Ashburnham town line. The Ashburnham Police Department confirmed the BMW sedan was confirmed to belong to 33-year-old Aaron Pennington, and the car is also the suspect vehicle connected to the homicide of Pennington’s 30-year-oldP wife, Breanne.
Aaron Pennington, however, has not yet been found and state and local agencies were searching the area for him, according to Ashburnham police.
A shelter-in-place order was in effect for several hours in the area of Kelton, Wheeler, Raymond and Stone streets. The shelter-in-place was lifted at around 9:50 p.m., when the area was deemed safe with no threat to public safety following an exhaustive search by Gardner police and state police.
“Out of an abundance of caution, a police presence will remained stationed in the area throughout the night and (Tuesday),” reads a post on the Gardner City Hall Facebook page.
Police vehicles had blocked off Camp Collier Road, which runs along the western shore of Lake Wampanoag. Police helicopters were overhead and K-9 units responded to the area to search for Pennington.
Pennington’s white BMW was scene being towed away from the area late Monday night.
As of Tuesday morning, Massachusetts State Police said a search in the area had resumed.
An application for a criminal complaint, which was filed Sunday, accuses Aaron Pennington of unlawfully possessing a firearm without a license to carry.
The court document states that the couple’s four children originally went to a neighbor’s home to ask for help at approximately 9:14 a.m. Sunday.
“Four children came over to her house scared because they could not find their father and their mother was in her bedroom crying,” a trooper wrote in the application. “The four children were known to reside with their parents at 42 Cherry Street in the city of Gardner. The children also stated that their father’s vehicle was no longer in the residence’s driveway.”
Responding officers found Breanne Pennington in an upstairs bedroom with an apparent gunshot wound to the face, the document states. Three shell casings were found in the bedroom, but no weapons were found in the home.
“She didn’t deserve it,” said Chelsea Lowe, Breanne Pennington’s high school friend. “She was such a good mother and such a good wife.”
The trooper also wrote that investigators learned through interviews that the couple had longstanding marital issues and that Breanne Pennington had planned to move to Texas with the couple’s children.
“She was saving up money and Aaron was obviously aware that she was gonna leave,” said Lowe.
“Aaron Pennington suffered from mental health issues and had threatened suicide,” the document states.
The trooper also noted that Breanne Pennington was known to have a firearm for protection, but neither she nor Aaron Pennington had a license to carry.
Based on surveillance camera video, the document indicates Aaron Pennington left the driveway in the white BMW sedan at 8:50 a.m. Sunday. The vehicle originally had a Massachusetts Veteran plate, but state police said Pennington may have swapped the license plate on his car to either a Texas or California tag.
“I think this is one of those situations where he had that mindset, ‘If I can’t have her, then nobody can,'” said Lowe.
Worcester County District Attorney Joe Early has described Pennington as “armed and dangerous.” Neighbors said Pennington is an Air Force veteran.
Aaron Pennington is described as a white male with blonde hair and blue eyes. He’s 6 feet, 2 inches tall and weighs approximately 175 pounds.
The couple’s four children were in the custody of the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families as of Sunday night, Early said.
If anyone sees Pennington, they are asked to contact the Massachusetts State Police at 508-829-8236 or the Gardner Police Department at 978-632-5600.
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