Derby winner passes lie detector test

LACONIA — Dakota Wright, the 17-year-old whose 3.7 pound, 22.5 inch long salmon, was the largest landed in the 31st annual Winni Derby which concluded on May 5, received his $12,500 winner's check Saturday after passing a lie detector test.

John Moriarty of the Laconia Rotary Club, which took over sponsorship of the derby three years ago, said the test was administered by Dave Crawford of the New England Polygraph Institute in Moultonborough and that Wright ''passed with flying colors.''

Derby officials say the test was instituted due to concerns which surfaced on many fishing blogs that some winning fish in recent derbies weren't actually caught in Lake Winnipesaukee.

Moriarty said that ''based on the high degree of credibility'' of Wright's test, it was determined that it would not be necessary to have the witness to his catch, his father, Mark Wright, also take a lie detector test.

Wright, a junior at Bishop Brady High School in Concord, caught his winning fish near Welch Island in Gilford arouund 6:30 a.m. on May 4, the second day of the derby.

At the awards ceremony held the following day Wright said that he was going to use the prize money to buy himself a new pickup truck.