Concord,
NH – Monday night, last week’s U.S. Marshals “Fugitive of the
Week,” Shawn Hartford was arrested by the Somersworth Police Department
after fleeing on foot from law enforcement in a homeless encampment.
Additionally, this morning, the U.S. Marshals – NH Joint Fugitive Task
Force was able to locate and arrest this week’s “Fugitive of the Week,”
Jeffry Robtoy near a business on Front Street in Manchester, NH.
Shawn Michael Hartford, 36 years-of-age who was
known to have ties in tri-city area of Strafford County had been
featured as the “Fugitive of the Week” on June 28th. Mr. Hartford was
being sought on a Strafford County arrest warrant for bail violations on
an ongoing narcotics case involving both methamphetamines and heroin.
Jeffry Robtoy, 51 years-of-age, was last known to
reside at a Manchester half-way house when he absconded from supervision
in mid-June and the Federal court issued an arrest warrant. Robtoy was
on supervised release due to a 2018 conviction and sentence in the U.S.
District Court in Vermont for conspiracy to possess with intent to
distribute narcotics.
As part of the search for both Hartford & Robtoy,
they were featured the past two Wednesdays as the “Fugitive of the
Week.” These features were aired on WTPL-FM, WNTK-FM, WTSN-FM, WEMJ-FM,
The Union Leader, The Nashua Telegraph, The Patch, Manchester
Information, the Manchester Ink Link, The Rochester & Lebanon 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 over 500 fugitives since its implementation in 2007.
Additionally, the “Fugitive of the Week” was distributed statewide to
all law enforcement officers in New Hampshire.
Hartford was arrested Monday night, after the
Somersworth Police Department developed information that Hartford was
reportedly residing in a tent in a local homeless encampment. Members of
the Somersworth Police Department went to the camp and immediately
observed a person fleeing, who was later determined to be Shawn
Hartford. Also located at this camp was James Hartford (Shawn’s brother)
who was arrested on an outstanding Somersworth Police Department warrant
for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. The Somersworth
Police Department, along with their K-9 “Bravo” with the assistance of
the NH State Police and the Rollinsford Police Department were able to
successfully track and arrest Shawn Hartford bedded down in the wood
line without further incident.
Hartford refused bail and was transported to the
Strafford County Jail, where he will be held pending the resolution of
his court case in the Strafford County Superior Court.
Mr. Robtoy
was arrested this morning by members of the NH Joint Fugitive Task
Force. The task force conducted multiple interviews this morning in an
attempt to locate Robtoy. These interviews provided the information
needed to track down Robtoy near a business on Front Street in
Manchester where he was arrested without incident. Mr. Robtoy was
transported to the Strafford County Jail for processing and holding
pending a hearing in U.S. District Court in NH regarding his return to
Vermont. Once ordered returned to Vermont, Mr. Robtoy will have a
hearing about his violations of his conditions of supervised release.
US Marshal Nick Willard said, “The U.S. Marshals
Service is incredibly grateful for all of the help that we continually
receive in effort to track these fugitives down.” Willard continued,
“The support of the public, the media and law enforcement working
together in New Hampshire are crucial to keeping our state one of the
safest in America.”
Since the inception of the U.S. Marshals – New
Hampshire Joint Fugitive Task Force in 2002, these partnerships have
resulted in over 8,218 arrests (Updated as of 12/16/2020). 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.
Additional information about the U.S. Marshals Service can be found
at http://www.usmarshals.gov.
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America’s
First Federal Law Enforcement Agency