12-05-2025
Grantham dump truck driver arrested in Newport pedestrian death
Newport Police arrested the driver of a dump truck in connection with the death of a pedestrian last week.
Charles Deraway, 38, of Grantham, was charged with negligent homicide and second-degree assault, Newport Police Chief Stephen Lee said in a news release. The dump truck struck and killed 34-year-old Zachary Shepard of Newport in a crosswalk just before 12:40 p.m. Wednesday at the intersection of Sunapee and Central streets, police said.
Emergency responders brought Shepard to Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
Police said Deraway was heading east on Central Street, operating a 2016 Westerner dump truck owned by Barton Excavating. As Deraway prepared to make a right turn onto Sunapee Street he failed to come to a complete stop and the truck hit Shepard, who was walking west in a crosswalk, police said.
Investigators interviewed several witnesses and reviewed security video from the area. The New Hampshire State Police Analysis and Reconstruction Unit helped with the investigation.
Deraway was scheduled to be arraigned Monday in Newport's district court.
The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information about the crash can call Detective Paul Beaudet at 603-863-3232 or email pbeaudet@
