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Wolfeboro Man Faces Several Charges After Leading Police On Chase

32-year-old Scott Sanborn of Wolfeboro was arrested after leading Police on a chase Monday ~ Photo Courtesy of Wolfeboro Police

Wolfeboro, NH – Wolfeboro Police were lead on an early morning chase Monday morning. According to Police an officer was attempting to stop a vehicle that was allegedly speeding near Morrissey’s Front Porch at around 4:30 am. The driver, later identified as 32-year-old Scott Sanborn of Wolfeboro, failed to stop and made an abrupt left turn down Cove’s End Road where he then quickly stopped the vehicle on the lawn of a private residence after running out of roadway. Sanborn then fled from the vehicle, which had two other occupants still inside.

The vehicle the suspect allegedly fled in an attempt to evade Wolfeboro Police before later being arrested ~ Photo Courtesy of Wolfeboro Police

Back up from Wolfeboro and Alton Police responded, including the Wolfeboro’s K9, Riggs and his handler Senior Patrolman Mike Strauch. After approximately ninety-minutes Police tracked down Sanborn to the Lake Motel, where he had allegedly broken into a room.

Sanborn was arrested and taken to Huggins Hospital for evaluation and treatment for cold weather exposure that he received while trying to evade authorities. Police said that “Mr. Sanborn jumped into several bodies of water to avoid detection by the PD’s K-9-it did not work”

Police said that Sanborn was under suspension at the time of the stop for a previous infraction. Investigators said they observed at least one hypodermic needle, believed to contain methadone, inside Sanborn’s car. The vehicle has been impounded by the Wolfeboro Police and is being held pending the application of a Search Warrant.

Sanborn was charged with Driving While Intoxicated (Second Offense), Speed, Possession of Drugs, Transportation of Drugs in a Motor Vehicle, Driving After Suspension, Disobeying a Police Officer, Criminal Trespass, Criminal Mischief, Negligent Driving. and Obstructing Governmental Operations. He was later bailed from Huggins Hospital with a Court Date of 20 December 2017 in the Third Circuit Court in Ossipee, NH.

Wolfeboro Police Chief Dean Rondeau said “This was really good team work and show cases just how well our Police and Central Dispatch work together in a high stress situation. Wolfeboro Central Dispatch was able to follow the Officers circumstances and get the appropriate resources to the right location in a timely fashion to make this arrest happen.”

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Mt. Washington Avalanche Turns into Safety Lesson

GORHAM — U.S. Forest Service snow rangers hope Mount Washington’s first avalanche of the season will be a catalyst for a newly launched initiative to teach school kids and the public how to be safer on the highest peak in the Northeast.

Frank Carus, the lead snow ranger, said two climbers were uninjured after triggering “a small avalanche” on Dec. 1 in Central Gully in Huntington Ravine, on the northeast side of the mountain.

Between 80 and 100 avalanches are reported on the mountain annually, he said.

“The slab was up to 18 inches thick and it looked like a pretty small avalanche, just a ribbon of snow,” Carus said.

Dec. 1 is when Carus, three fellow snow rangers and avalanche dog Lilly take over primary search-and-rescue operations in both Huntington and Tuckerman ravines from the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department.

It was in Huntington Ravine on March 1, 2013, that an avalanche last claimed a life on Mount Washington — James “Jimmy” Watts in Pinnacle Gully.

Carus said the Dec. 1 avalanche had the same potential as the one that claimed Watts’ life because even “small avalanches can be particularly dangerous in early season conditions in that you can get driven into boulders poking out of the snow.”

The snow rangers took to social media last week and decided to use the avalanche as an opportunity to talk about the White Mountain Avalanche Education Fund.

Established seven years ago, the fund pursues “avalanche knowledge” and delivers “avalanche education” by providing scholarships for participation in a certified avalanche course, clinic or seminar.

Scholarships are open to students in grades six to 12 from the northeastern United States; from school systems in Coos, Carroll, and Grafton Counties in New Hampshire and Oxford County in Maine; as well as from active volunteer mountain rescuers.

The fund has also been working to develop educational material “to benefit youth and adult residents, or those visiting the mountains of New Hampshire.” An initial public outreach workshop was recently held in Portland, Maine.

Carus said the goal is to offer similar workshops in the Granite State and complete a “snow-science curriculum for schools that will tie in science and math with the changes that the snow goes through and touch on back-country avalanche conditions.”

Carus recommends checking the daily condition reports from the Mount Washington Avalanche Center.

On Mount Washington, avalanches happen with “regularity,” he said, adding some are caused by storms, not human beings.

Story courtesy of John Kozial, Union Leader…

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Conway Police Searching For Suspect In Christmas Tree Assault At Lowes

Police suspect that this man assaulted an elderly woman at Lowes in North Conway On Sunday (December 3) ~ Photo courtesy of Conway Police

 
 

***UPDATE*** The Conway Police posted on their Facebook page that a suspect has been identified. However they did not release the name of the suspect or if any arrests have been made.
 
Conway, NH – The Conway Police are looking for the public’s help in identifying two people related to an assault at the North Conway Lowes this past weekend. Conway Police posted on their Facebook page that on Sunday Officers responded to the store for a report of a man assaulting an elderly female customer in the store. According to the police log the assault happened over the last Christmas Tree in the store.

This woman  allegedly accompanied the suspect in the North Conway Lowes when the assault took place ~ Photo courtesy of Conway Police

 
The male suspect is described as a middle-aged medium build man standing at around 5’ 10”, with brown and gray facial hair wearing a hat and glasses. He was accompanied inside the store by a middle-aged female with blond hair. Police said the suspect left the store in a full size white pickup truck or SUV type vehicle.

 

 

 

Anyone with information about the identity of the two people is asked to contact Conway Police at (603) 356-5715. 

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New Study Says Coos County Residents Hopeful For Future But Concerned About Jobs

Durham, NH – A News Study released by UNH shows that residents Of Coos County are optimistic about the future of their area, but remain concerned about the lack of job opportunities and drug abuse. The Carsey School of Public Policy at the University of New Hampshire conducted a phone survey in four North Country counties—Coös and Grafton, New Hampshire; Oxford, Maine; and Essex, Vermont. Many of the questions had also been asked in previous Carsey surveys done in 2007 and in 2010.

Researches found that in Coos County lack of job opportunities stood out as the top problem across all three surveys, with 96% of respondents agreeing it was the most important concern in 2010. That number decreased greatly in the 2017 survey to 86%, but remained the most important problem on the list.

Not surprising with the recent opioid epidemic hitting the state concern about illegal drugs throughout Coos county jumped significantly, going from 55% in 2010 to 75% in 2017. A new item we added in 2017 to reflect the opioid epidemic, substance abuse and overdose, ranked even higher: 80 percent of respondents said this is an important problem in their county.

When asked about the future 80% of those surveyed said they planned to stay in Coos county for 5 or more years with 79% saying they believe their communities will be a better place to live or about the same within 10 years.

The study concluded that “most people living in these North Country counties continue to be optimistic about their communities and their own situations. The profound economic transformation of this previously manufacturing-dominated region over the past several decades has not shaken this community confidence, but it does drive the ongoing concerns about job and economic growth opportunities.”

For a look at the full study click here.

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Weekend Avalanche On Mt. Washington

Gorham, NH – Authorities are warning hikers and skiers on the highest peak in the northeast to be cautious after a human-triggered avalanche over the weekend. WMUR- TV reports that officials with the Mount Washington Avalanche Center said No one was injured in the Huntington Ravine avalanche, but it was a close call.

Officials reminded outdoor enthusiasts that even minimal snow on the mountain can produce an avalanche. The Avalanche Center’s website advises those looking to explore Mount Washington that the Summer Lion Head Trail has a very low avalanche risk and is currently a safer route than Tuckerman or Huntington Ravine Trail. Adding that The Lion Head Winter Route will be the preferred route when enough snow falls on the Lion Head summer route to create a bed surface and avalanche concerns.

Officials said hikers should get proper training in avalanche safety and check for snow dangers at the avalanche center’s daily update. For the most up to date advisories and avalanche danger on Mt. Washington Go to https://mountwashingtonavalanchecenter.com/

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Fryeburg Man Arrested For Causing Crash Resulting In Damage To A Garage

65-year-old Nelson Brown, of Fryeburg, is accused of driving his SUV into a parked truck that then crashed into a garage in Fryeburg ~ Photo courtesy of Fryeburg Police

 

Fryeburg, ME – A Fryeburg man was arrested after he allegedly caused a vehicle to crash into a garage. According to Fryeburg Police at around 6:40 Wednesday evening they were called to a motor vehicle crash into a building at 82 Lovewell Pond Road.

 

When officers arrived on scene they found that a vehicle had crashed into a parked Toyota SUV launching it into the residents garage, shifting it from its foundation. The suspect, later identified as 65-year-old Nelson Brown of Fryeburg, fled the scene in a Chevy Pickup truck after causing extensive structural damage to the building. Police said that they believe speed and driver impairment were contributing factors in the crash.

65-year-old Nelson Brown of Fryeburg faces faces multiple charges for allegedly hitting a parked SUV and then fleeing the scene. ~ Photo courtesy of Fryeburg Police

 
Thursday (November 30th) Officers located and arrested Brown for Aggravated Criminal Mischief (Class C Felony) and Leaving The Scene of a Property Damage Accident (Class E Misdemeanor). He was transported to the Oxford County Jail where his bail was set at $500 cash. Brown is scheduled to be in court for his initial arraignment on January 9th 2018.

Fryeburg Police Chief Joshua Potvin said “Fortunately no one was seriously injured in this crash. Anytime a vehicle unintentionally leaves the roadway it is a recipe for disaster.” Adding “This is our department’s 117th crash this year which is slightly higher than the 99 reportable crashes we investigated by this time last year.”