Surveillance Leads to the Arrest of 'Fugitive of the Week'

Concord, NH – The United States Marshals Service – NH Joint Fugitive Task Force is happy to announce the arrest of yet another “Fugitive of the Week” this morning.

John Patrick Barber, 30 years-of-age, had been featured as the “Fugitive of the Week” on June 15th. Mr. Barber was wanted by the Manchester Police Department on an arrest warrant for failing to maintain his sex offender registration. Barber is required to register as a sex offender due to a 2013 conviction in Rockingham County Superior Court for felonious sexual assault on a child over the age of 13, but less than 16 years of age with an age difference of greater than four years.

As part of this feature as the “Fugitive of the Week,” Barber had been aired on WTPL-FM, WNTK-FM, WTSN-FM, WEMJ-FM, 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 creation in 2007. Additionally, the “Fugitive of the Week” was distributed statewide to all law enforcement officers in New Hampshire.

Today, members of the U.S. Marshals, New Hampshire Joint Fugitive Task Force were conducting surveillance in Manchester in an area that Barber was known to be around. In this area, a vehicle that Barber was frequently seen in was observed departing the area and attempted to lose the surveillance teams. The vehicle fled at a high speed down I-93 south to the Derry/Londonderry exit where they continued to attempt to elude the surveillance teams. The vehicle containing Barber was eventually cornered at the end of a dead-end street in Londonderry, NH where Barber was arrested without further incident.

The operator of the vehicle, Keelee Estes, 27 years-of-age, whose last known address was in Manchester was arrested and charged with Reckless Operation of a motor vehicle by the NH State Police. The vehicle was towed from the scene.

Mr. Barber was transported by the task force to the Manchester Police Department, where he was processed on his outstanding arrest warrant.

This arrest was made by several member agencies of the US Marshal’s Fugitive Task Force, including members from the Strafford County (NH) Sheriff’s Office, the Londonderry and Manchester Police Departments, the NH State Police, along with deputy US Marshals.

Since the inception of the U.S. Marshals - New Hampshire Joint Fugitive Task Force in 2002, these partnerships have resulted in over 8,542 arrests (Updated as of 12/31/2021). 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.