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Kevin Goodwin pleads guilty for his role in a brawl outside Gilley's

PORTSMOUTH – Kevin Goodwin, the brother of former Portsmouth police sergeant Aaron Goodwin, pleaded guilty this week to disturbing the peace for his conduct during an alleged assault outside Gilley's Diner last November.

The indictment against Kevin Goodwin alleges that he shoved two bystanders – apparently black and Asian – when they tried to intervene when Aaron Goodwin attacked Mamadou Dembele, a black Portsmouth bank manager, court documents show.

Kevin Goodwin pleaded guilty to disturbing the peace, a misdemeanor, in Portsmouth District Court on August 26. Prosecutors dropped the more serious charge of simple assault.

Kevin Goodwin, 41, of Dundalk, Maryland, his wife Shannon Goodwin and his brother Aaron Goodwin were all charged in connection with the incident outside Gilley's in downtown Portsmouth the night before Thanksgiving 2023. When the charges were filed, Kevin Goodwin was accused of “knowingly engaging in a fight or engaging in violent, tumultuous or threatening conduct in a public place, namely the parking lot of Gilley's Diner, by arguing with and shoving an unidentified black male,” as well as causing “unauthorized physical contact” with the unidentified black male by poking him in the chest, according to court documents.

In December, Dembélé publicly accused the attack of being racially motivated, and the public mobilized support for him and his demand for justice.

When state police filed charges against the three Goodwins in March, Dembele was listed as Aaron Goodwin's victim. The former police sergeant was also charged with simple assault. Court records say he “violently threw Dembele to the ground” and was also charged with disturbing the peace.

For his admission of the disorderly conduct, Kevin Goodwin was sentenced to a fine of $500 and a statutory penalty of $120, according to his order and sentence. Judge John Pendleton heard Goodwin's case, approved the admission and subsequent fines, and signed the prosecution's decision to dismiss the simple assault charge.

Andrew Cotrupi, attorney for Kevin Goodwin, did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday. The case was prosecuted by the New Hampshire State Police and Joachim Barth of the Strafford County District Attorney's Office.

Aaron Goodwin's case will be heard in Hampton District Court in September.

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Robin Melone, Mamadou Dembele's lawyer, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday.

Shannon Goodwin was charged with three counts of simple assault and disorderly conduct following the incident.

New Hampshire State Police have not disclosed whether Shannon Goodwin has turned herself in on the non-extradition warrant. She could only be taken into custody if she returns to the state.

A spokesman for the New Hampshire State Police could not be reached for comment.

The simple assault charges against the three Goodwins are Class A misdemeanors, and the disorderly conduct charges are misdemeanors.

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