Concord, NH - At around noon today, last week’s featured “Fugitive of the Week," Melissa Ann Mooney (35 years old), of Belmont, was found hiding in a Laconia attic. Ms. Mooney had been wanted on an outstanding arrest warrant for parole violations. Mooney was on parole as part of her original conviction and sentence for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon (knife).
Ms. Mooney had just been featured as the “Fugitive of the Week" last Wednesday. This feature was aired on WTPL-FM, WMUR-TV, The Union Leader, The Nashua Telegraph, The Patch, Foster’s Daily Democrat, Manchester Information, the Manchester Ink Link, the Rochester Voice and prominently featured on the internet. The “Fugitive of the Week" continues to be a very successful tool that has resulted in the location and arrest of numerous fugitives since its implementation in 2007. Additionally, the “Fugitive of the Week" is distributed statewide to all law enforcement officers.
As a result of this feature, the U.S. Marshals Service received several tips pointing to an address of an associate in the 100 block of Province Street in Laconia, NH. Today, members of the NH Joint Fugitive Task Force went to this associate’s residence in an attempt to locate and arrest Mooney. The Fugitive Task Force searched the residence and found Mooney attempting to hide in the attic crawl space. Once discovered, Mooney surrendered and exited the attic on her own, where she was arrested without further incident.
Ms. Mooney was transported to the Belknap County Jail for processing, and holding pending her return to the NH State Prison for Women in Concord. Mooney will have a hearing before the NH State Parole Board at a later date to determine her length of further incarceration.
This arrest was made with the cooperative support of several members of the U.S. Marshals - N.H. Joint Fugitive Task Force including, members from the Belknap, Hillsborough, Strafford, & Rockingham County Sheriff’s Offices, the Greenfield Police Department, along with deputy U.S. Marshals.
Since the inception of the New Hampshire Joint Fugitive Task Force in 2002, these partnerships have resulted in over 7,751 arrests (Updated as of 07/25/2019). These arrests have ranged in seriousness from murder, assault, unregistered sex offenders, probation and parole violations and numerous other serious offenses. Nationally the United States Marshals Service fugitive programs are carried out with local law enforcement in 94 district offices, 85 local fugitive task forces, 8 regional task forces, as well as a growing network of offices in foreign countries.
