Residents help sheriff’s department capture fugitive in Gilford

GILFORD — A man wanted in Massachusetts was apprehended by Belknap County Sheriff’s Department officers following a search Wednesday afternoon. 

Andrew Smith, 36, was arrested and charged Aug. 21. Officers from the sheriff’s department were engaged in a warrant sweep event with the probation and parole unit, and arrived at an address on Ridgewood Avenue around 4:45 p.m. where Smith was apparently assisting in the construction of a building. 

Smith took off running into the nearby woods when police arrived at his location, but tips from area residents and the discovery of his cell phone and wallet in the woods helped officers track him down. 

Residents told officers they saw a shirtless man running into the woods, Belknap County Sheriff’s Department Sgt. Peter John said Thursday afternoon. 

John thanked the Gilford Police Department for their prompt response in assisting the sheriff’s department in containing the perimeter of the search area. Law enforcement officers searched sheds and boats within that perimeter before finding Smith on Bedford Avenue near Piche’s Ski & Sports Shop, where he was taken into custody without incident. 

“It’s nice when things come together,” John said. 

Smith, who is thought to have been staying in Gilmanton, is charged with one count of destruction of property worth more than $1,200; one count of trespassing; two counts of possession of drugs; and one count of resisting arrest. He was arraigned Thursday morning and will be extradited to Salisbury, Massachusetts.

John said the assistance from Gilford police and neighborhood residents was appreciated and helped to promptly capture Smith.