Former U.S. Congressional Candidate Convicted for Faking Disappearance

DOVER, New Hampshire – A former congressional candidate was convicted Wednesday of faking his disappearance after a car crash two years ago to draw attention to his long-shot campaign.

A New Hampshire jury convicted Gary Dodds of falsifying evidence, causing a false public alarm and leaving the scene of the April 2006 crash. He showed no emotion as the verdicts were returned on the first day of deliberations after a 15-day trial.

Dodds, 43, claims he injured his head in a crash on the Spaulding Turnpike highway and nearly drowned in a river before being rescued 27 hours later from the snowy woods. Prosecutors say he spent part of that time soaking his feet in cold water to make it appear he spent the night outdoors, all to boost his faltering campaign.

"He had a story that he was going to stick to," County Attorney Thomas Velardi said during closing arguments Friday. "It would've been a heroic story. It would've been a great story — all the people who hadn't heard of him before ... really would've known who he was."

Except for his shoes and socks, Dodds' clothing was dry when he was rescued. His feet were purple and wrinkled, but the rest of his skin was pink and dry. An expert in cold weather injuries testified that must have resulted from Dodds soaking his feet in cold water.

Prosecutors allege that Dodds was desperate for money after spending nearly double the amount his wife had agreed to and taking out two mortgages on their home to finance his campaign. But defense lawyers said that bank records show the mortgages were used to pay for property renovations and that there was no reason for Dodds to stage the crash.

"What the state has done is they've taken innocent facts and infused them with dark and sinister meanings," defense lawyer J.P. Nadeau told jurors Friday.

Nadeau had no comment on the verdict other than to say that he was disappointed and that he would consider an appeal. Under instructions from his lawyers, Dodds left the courthouse without commenting.

During the trial, defense lawyers argued that police charged Dodds to cover up their bungled investigation. Aside from a few officers who searched the night of the crash, authorities did not launch a large-scale search until the next morning.

Dodds faces as many as seven years in prison when he is sentenced in about 45 days.

Dodds continued campaigning for the Democratic nomination in the 1st Congressional District after the crash but came in third in the four-way primary. The winner, Carol Shea-Porter, defeated Republican Rep. Jeb Bradley in the general election.