Alton Police still searching for man who fled into swamp

By THOMAS P. CALDWELL, LACONIA DAILY SUN

ALTON — Police are asking for help from the public in locating a man they say fled from a traffic stop and kicked down the door of a home on Old Wolfeboro Road.

The case began when Cpl. Phil Hunter, an evening supervisor, attempted to stop a driver for a speeding violation, and the vehicle fled into the parking lot of a new auto wash business on Route 28 North.

Police Chief Ryan Heath said that, as Hunter approached, the driver fled on foot across the highway, leaving his vehicle in drive, so it began free-rolling toward the road. Hunter chased the vehicle and put it in park before taking up foot pursuit.

The man, whom police identified as Matthew Williams, fled into the woods almost directly behind the police department, and Hunter contacted the K9 unit to track the fleeing man. The dog was able to follow Williams’s trail to a spot where he lost his shoes in the wetlands behind the station, but lost the scent as the swamp got deeper and harder to traverse.

During the foot pursuit, a resident of Old Wolfeboro Road called to report an intruder. The residents were awakened from sleep around 3 a.m. Friday by a loud crash, and they went through the house to determine what had caused the noise, turning on lights as they went. They found that the basement door had been kicked in.

Heath said officers found the door damaged and fresh footprints leading from the house. They concluded that Williams got spooked when the residents lit up the area.

Officers tried a secondary track later Friday morning, but were unsuccessful.

They impounded the vehicle and found that it was registered to Williams, and Hunter was able to match a photograph to the man he had seen fleeing, giving them a positive identification of Williams.

Police obtained a warrant on Friday afternoon that would allow them to search the vehicle for additional information.

Meanwhile, Heath is asking anyone who has had contact with Williams to call Cpl. Hunter at 875-0757.