Fugitive of week found hiding in Laconia attic

LACONIA — A parolee with a record of drug-related crimes was arrested after authorities found her hiding in a South End attic.

Members of the New Hampshire Joint Fugitive Task Force arrested Melissa Ann Mooney, 35, on Monday after they found her attempting to hide in the attic crawl space of the home of a suspected associate on Province Street, the U.S. Marshal’s Office reported.

Mooney was featured last week as the Fugitive of the Week. As a result of the publicity of that announcement, the task force received “several tips” about where Mooney might be hiding out, according to Jeffrey White, a deputy U.S. marshal.

Mooney was wanted on an outstanding warrant for a parole violation after being convicted of stabbing her then boyfriend in the back after an argument about drug money.

In June 2017, she pleaded guilty in Belknap Superior Court to a charge of first-degree assault, and was sentenced 1½ to five years in prison.

Mooney was granted parole this past April and was to remain under parole supervision until May 2022, according to a Department of Corrections spokesman.

According to a news article at the time of her arrest, Mooney and her boyfriend were living illegally in a closet of an apartment on Union Avenue in March 2017 when they began to argue about money to buy drugs. Mooney then stabbed the man in the lower back seriously enough that he required surgery. The victim ran off, with Mooney chasing after him down Union Avenue, shouting, “Where is my money? Give me my money. I need to leave before the cops get here," witnesses told police.

Mooney, who according to court records has lived on Horne Road, Belmont, and at other times has had no fixed address, has in the past been charged with possession of fentanyl, delivery of methamphetamine, and illegal possession of prescription drugs.

"The Fugitive Task Force searched the residence and found Mooney attempting to hide in the attic crawl space,” White said. “Once discovered, Mooney surrendered and [walked out of] the attic on her own, where she was arrested without further incident."

Mooney was taken to the Belknap County Jail for processing and will be returned to the State Prison for Women in Concord. She will have a hearing before the state parole board about the violation. That board, White said, will determine her length of future incarceration.

Members of the Belknap, Hillsborough, Strafford, and Rockingham county sheriff's offices and the Greenfield Police Department assisted deputy marshals with the investigation and Mooney’s capture.