Family Members Arrested For Assisting Escaped NH Prisoner
WEST SWANZEY, N.H. (CBS/AP) – Family members of an escaped prisoner were arrested this week after a man walked away from a minimum security facility in New Hampshire.
New Hampshire State police said David Ward walked away from Calumet Halfway House in Manchester, and a warrant was issued for his arrest.
Officers received information that Ward may be in Cheshire County, where he has family ties. Police said he was considered "a danger to law enforcement as well as the general public."
State police determined that Sarah Ward, 25, and Kathryn Ward, 42, both of West Swanzey, N.H., kept Ward inside their home and also transported him from the property in the trunk of a car.
Both were arrested and charged with hindering apprehension or prosecution.
Also arrested was Lee Bates, 29, of Keene, N.H. Bates was also charged with hindering apprehension or prosecution for providing transportation to Ward.
Ward was eventually located at a home in Vernon, Vermont, on December 17. He was taken into custody without incident, though he was armed with a .38-caliber handgun that had been reported stolen out of Swanzey, N.H. at the time of his arrest.
Authorities say Ward was finishing a sentence of four to eight years for a reckless conduct.
Police say he is a suspect in three robberies since his escape.
Ward will be held as a fugitive from justice in Vermont pending his extradition to New Hampshire.
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