No injuries in police standoff with fugitive Wednesday night

LACONIA — No one was hurt after city police and officers with the Belknap County Special Operations Group apprehended a barricaded suspect on Parade Road Wednesday evening.

At around 5:21 p.m. on July 30, officers with the Laconia Police Department learned Brett Miller, 30, was hiding in an RV in the woods of a property at 3160 Parade Road, according to a press release.

Laconia police had an open arrest warrant for Miller for domestic violence and criminal threatening, and there was also an open warrant in Belknap Superior Court for failure to appear in court.

Officers believed Miller could be armed with a handgun and that he was actively attempting to evade arrest.

Because of the potential safety issues, the department’s Unmanned Aerial Vehicle team was deployed to attempt to locate Miller, using a drone. Miller was believed to be in a heavily-wooded location. 

Shortly before 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, officers with the UAV team found Miller and confirmed his location visually. Officers assembled a team and attempted to make verbal contact with Miller, who did not have a phone. Working with the UAV team, the react team was able to communicate with Miller from a safe distance, but he ultimately barricaded himself in an RV located on the property.

At that point, the Belknap Special Operations Group was activated and, upon their arrival, Miller surrendered without incident and was taken into custody.

Miller apparently refused bail and was placed in Belknap County Jail to await his arraignment in Laconia District Court on Thursday morning, and in Belknap County Superior Court later that same day. 

Miller is charged with two counts of domestic violence, criminal threatening and one count of resisting arrest. 

Officers later determined Miller was wanted by police in Lowell, Massachusetts, on seven outstanding warrants, according to a police department statement. Because of that, Miller was also charged with being a fugitive from justice.

The case remains an active investigation and anyone with additional information is encouraged to contact Laconia Police at 603-524-5252.