Police: Carjacker arrested in Hudson after series of crashes across NH
Anthony Plourde faces multiple charges
Anthony Plourde faces multiple charges
Anthony Plourde faces multiple charges
Hudson police arrested a man who they believe was involved in several crashes in three New Hampshire communities on Tuesday.
Anthony Plourde, 22, of Brentwood, faces multiple charges in at least two jurisdictions -- Manchester and Hudson -- including receiving stolen property, reckless conduct, conduct after an accident, driving while intoxicated, stolen motor vehicle, simple assault and criminal mischief.
MANCHESTER
Manchester police said a man, later identified as Plourde, was armed with a wooden stake when he ordered someone to get out of their vehicle at a gas station on Main Street. Police said when the victim wouldn't comply, Plourde damaged the car's mirror with the stake and fled.
A short time later and down the street, a man matching Plourde's description threw down a wooden stake and stole an idling Hyundai Elantra that belonged to Doreen Bettes, police said.
Bettes said her car was stolen right before her eyes.
“I was in shock. If I had time, I would have tried to grab him and he would have had my fist right in my face,” she said. "This man came flying around the corner, flung a shovel in my parking area, jumped in the car, slammed it into reverse. It was like 5 or 6 seconds, he (was) gone."
Around 9 a.m., the Elantra had crashed into a business on South Main street, police said.
Police said a man matching Plourde's description fled the crash and tried to carjack a vehicle in an intersection. When that driver of the vehicle refused to give up control of the car, the man, later identified as Plourde, fled to the Walgreens parking lot at the corner of South Main and Varney streets.
Officers said Plourde opened the driver's door of a Ford Escape in the lot and shouldered his way into the vehicle, ordering Kristen Caron, of Weare, and her 13-year-old daughter out of the car. They complied, police said, and Plourde fled in the Ford Escape.
“All of a sudden, somebody came to my door, opened it and said, ‘Get out, get out, get out,’” Caron said. “I crawled over the console and I pushed her out and I got out with her.”
DERRY
Less than a half-hour later, an SUV matching the description of that Ford Escape sideswiped a car on Route 28 in Derry and then a few minutes later, sideswiped a car on nearby North High Street.
“No one hurt in either one. Second vehicle was, again, a gray Ford Escape and with full plate number matches the one stolen in Manchester,” Derry Police Capt. Vern Thomas said.
The driver did not stop after either incident.
HUDSON
Hudson police said they also received calls of cars being struck and arrested Plourde later in the morning.
A Hudson officer was flagged down after witnesses saw a man running from a Ford Escape that had crashed into a snowbank on Rt. 111, police said.
Investigators said the Ford Escape was involved in two different crashes earlier in Hudson – one on Central Street near Lawrence Road and one on Central Street near Greeley Street. No one was injured in the first crash, while a driver involved in the second crash was evaluated for a possible minor injury.
"His initial demeanor, according to the officer, was all over the map. Very animated giving us a lot of different stories. Nothing adding up, so it appears he was on a substance as well," Hudson Police Lt. Tad Dionne said.
Police said Plourde is now facing a slew of charges, which is a relief for Bettes.
"I am so angry. No one has the right to do that to anyone else," she said.
Plourde is set to be arraigned Wednesday morning on the charges out of Hudson. He may face more charges in this case.
Police said the incident could have been a whole lot worse had this been normal weekday morning but that there weren’t as many people on the road due to the holidays.