Man held follwing Tilton shooting

A Belmont man remains in Belknap County Jail following his arraignment on charges of reckless conduct and felon in possession of a firearm, after allegedly firing shots from his car at another driver on River Road shortly before noon on Thursday.

Michael Smith, 27, of 10 Seavey Road, Belmont was arrested in Loudon on Thursday afternoon. According to police, they first learned that two men were arguing with another from either side of Laconia Road near Sherwood Drive around 11:45 a.m. Less than ten minutes later, police received a second report that an argument on River Road had erupted into an exchange of gunfire.

Police said that Smith, who was driving a pickup truck, motioned to two other men, identified as Kenneth Blanketship and Travis Vincent, with whom he had been arguing, to follow him. Both vehicles went to River Road, where Smith signaled the other driver to follow him into a driveway where he allegedly drew a handgun and fired it. No one was injured,

Smith left the scene, prompting police to mount a search for him in neighboring towns. About an hour-and-a-half after the incident he was found at a residence in Loudon and was arrested.

Since 1998, Smith has been arrested on a number of occasions. He was convicted of hindering apprehension and resisting arrest in 1998 and pled guilty to criminal mischief and harassment as well as served jail time for carrying a concealed weapon without a license in 2000. Last month he was charged with criminal threatening and criminal mischief.