WNTK Local News

The New Hampshire Department of Corrections is seeking the public’s assistance in finding a transitional minimum security resident who was last seen on Friday, reports Patch.

According to the report, 43-year-old Michael Stevens was convicted in 2018 on receiving stolen property and theft by deception charges out of Manchester. Recently, Stevens was transitioning from prison to parole when he was accused of failing to report to the Calumet Transitional Housing Unit in Manchester Friday after leaving his place of employment. Stevens was placed on “escape” status that night at approximately 10:30 PM by the state of NH.

He is described as standing around six feet tall, and weighing approximately 200 pounds. He was last seen driving a 2016 white Chevy Cruz sedan with a NH registration beginning with the digits 478.

Anyone with information as to Stevens’ whereabouts is encouraged to call the NH Department of Corrections Investigations Bureau at 603-271-4416, 603-848-2569 or your local police department. 

One person is dead following an early Sunday morning crash in Wilmot, New Hampshire, reports WMUR.

According to the report, state troopers were called to the area of 252 Route 11 at approximately 4:30 AM on Sunday. Authorities state that a Honda Fit, driven by 26-year-old Jakob Reed of Andover, had hit a sewer cover and rolled over before crashing into a utility pole.

Reed was pronounced dead at the scene. Reed’s vehicle was the only one involved in the crash, and he was not carrying any passengers.

Authorities believe that speed was a factor, but the incident remains under investigation. 

A Hopkinton, New Hampshire man has been charged with assaulting a taxi driver with a pocket knife, reports the Associated Press.

According to the NH State Police, a taxi driver told authorities that he had been attacked by a passenger while driving on Interstate 89 through Concord on Friday.

Police state that the man was able to pull over before fighting with his assailant on the side of the interstate before escaping. The man’s wallet and pocket knife were left in the vehicle. He was later found by police walking in the breakdown lane, where he was arrested. The man has been identified as Dax David Duclos, 44, of Hopkinton.

Duclos has been charged with second-degree assault with a deadly weapon and criminal threatening with a deadly weapon. While, as of Sunday, it is not clear if he has a lawyer to comment on his behalf, Duclos will be arraigned at a later date.

The taxi driver did not sustain any serious injuries. He was treated by emergency responders and released. 

A White River Junction man has been arrested following an investigation by the Lebanon Police Department’s Cyber Crimes Unit, reports Patch.

According to the report, Lebanon Police Officers recently engaged in a conversation via social media with 38-year-old Erwin Feeney. This discussion was a result of the Lebanon PD’s efforts to investigate citizens who have been using social media to victimize children.

This investigation, and subsequent discussion, then led to Feeney arriving at an arranged location looking to meet someone, who he thought was a juvenile, for sexual acts on October 19th.

Upon arrival, Feeney was arrested and has been charged with Certain Uses of Computer Services Prohibited, Attempted Kidnapping, Attempted Felonious Sexual Assault, and Attempting Endangering Welfare of a Child.

He was held in preventative detention and arraigned in Grafton County Superior Court on October 20th. 

The officer who allegedly shot a Thornton, New Hampshire man has been identified, reports WCAX.

According to the NH Attorney General’s Office, Ethan Freeman, 37, was shot by a Thornton Police Officer on Monday. That officer has been identified as Matthew Yao. Officer Yao has reportedly been a member of the department for three years.

An autopsy, conducted Tuesday, revealed that Freeman died due to two gunshots to the chest.

At this time, authorities have not disclosed the events which led up to the shooting. 

New Hampshire health officials reported 92 new confirmed COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, reports NH Public Radio.

The 92 new cases bring NH’s total since reporting began to 9,917. There are a total of 798 active cases of the virus across the state.

There were no new hospitalizations announced on Wednesday, leaving the number of citizens currently hospitalized due to COVID-19 at 14.

One death was announced on Wednesday, a resident of Hillsborough County aged 60 or older, bringing the total number of COVID-19 related deaths to 469. 

College students can now vote in New Hampshire even if they are working remotely from elsewhere, reports the Associated Press.

According to the attorney general’s office, college students who would be attending college in NH but are currently working remotely from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic will be able to vote in the state, provided that they have previously established residency in NH.

The NH Republican Party had been arguing against this decision, stating that these students should not be able to vote in their college towns if they don’t have a current address in these communities.

In a letter Wednesday, Assistant Attorney General Nicholas Chong Yen stated that once a student has lawfully established domicile in NH, the student cannot lose this status due to temporary absence.

Chong Yen wrote, “Any person – including a student – who has established a domicile in New Hampshire consistent with (state law) but who is temporarily absent from the state by virtue of the COVID-19 pandemic or any other reason, remains domiciled within the state unless he or she establishes domicile elsewhere.”

However, a student who has never established a physical presence in the state cannot be domiciled in NH for voting purposes, meaning college freshmen who have been unable to arrive on campus would not be allowed to vote in their college towns. 

Two Barre, Vermont police officers were injured in an attack Tuesday, reports WCAX.

According to the report, Officer McGowan was responding to reports of a man stalking a woman on Brook Street. Upon investigation, the officer found Jonathan Mickels, a homeless individual, who confessed to having been drinking. Mickels was on conditions of release to not drink alcohol.

Then, according to police, the officer was punched in the head multiple times by Dana Bowen, another man at the scene. The officer then called for backup and police arrested both men.

Both officers on scene, McGowan and Wallant, were injured during the call. Bowen and Mickels will both be in court on Thursday. 

An arrest warrant has been issued for a man who allegedly voted in two states during the 2016 general election, reports WMUR.

The warrant was issued by the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office. According to NH officials, 75-year-old Sigmund Boganski knowingly voted in New Hampton, NH after already voting in Arizona.

Boganski is reportedly a resident of Maricopa County, AZ. At this time, he has yet to be apprehended.

The Weare, New Hampshire Police Department is seeking the public’s assistance in finding a missing Weare man, reports WMUR.

According to the report, 37-year-old Manuel Soares has not been seen since approximately 10 PM on September 28th, near Manchester’s Elliot Hospital. Police state that Soares did not have access to a vehicle at that time, and his phone has not been turned on since then.

The man is described as standing 5’9″ and weighing approximately 200 pounds. He was last seen wearing a tan shirt with plaid shorts, and a pair of black Crocs. Soares could possibly be identified by a surgical scar on his right hand, state police.

In an updated report, police state that Soares was possibly seen near the Manchester Wal-Mart on Tuesday afternoon. At this time, the person resembling Soares was wearing tan corduroy pants, white sneakers, a dark jacket, a beanie, and a gray/orange colored backpack.

If you have any information as to the man’s whereabouts, you are encouraged to contact Weare Police Lt. Frank Hebert at 603-529-7755.