Year on the Run Ends with U.S. Marshals’ Capture of Escaped Convict

Concord, NH – The U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) District of New Hampshire and the New Hampshire Joint Fugitive Task Force apprehended an escaped New Hampshire prisoner late last night in a hotel near the intersection of Perkins and Rockingham roads in Londonderry.  The arrest marks the end of a yearlong search for a fugitive with gang ties and an extensive history of violence in New Hampshire, including burglary, assault, reckless conduct and firearms-related offenses.

David Hamilton, 28, escaped from the New Hampshire State Prison for Men in August 2025.  At the time, Hamilton was serving the second of two consecutive sentences for second-degree assault convictions.  The convictions stem from a 2022 incident in which Hamilton fled from a crime scene in a vehicle, injured three women, destroyed multiple vehicles and endangered an animal.  Hamilton began serving his sentence in November 2022 and was participating in a work-release program when he escaped.

The U.S. Marshals Service worked with investigators throughout New England to track Hamilton’s whereabouts.  Investigators eventually determined Hamilton had assumed a false identity using the license and personal information of a California man.  That information helped investigators narrow their search and locate Hamilton in Londonderry late last night.  

Task Force members developed an arrest plan designed to minimize risk to the public and law enforcement, and Hamilton was taken into custody without injury or incident.  

Hamilton was previously arrested in 2016 by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives following an investigation that linked him to the burglary of a firearms store in Hooksett that year.  He later violated federal pretrial release conditions in that case and was subsequently arrested in Manchester in 2018.    

“Escapes from custody pose a serious public safety concern, and bringing escaped prisoners back into custody is essential to maintaining the integrity of our correctional system,” said William R. Hart, Jr., Commissioner of the New Hampshire Department of Corrections. “We appreciate the U.S. Marshals Service and the New Hampshire Joint Fugitive Task Force for their persistence and partnership in locating and apprehending Hamilton. Their work brings this case to a close and reinforces the importance of interagency cooperation in protecting our communities.”

The USMS New Hampshire Joint Fugitive Task Force was formed in the fall of 2002 and is headquartered in Concord. The task force coordinates federal, state, county, and local resources to develop leads, gather intelligence, track and apprehend targeted fugitives. The Task Force receives vital support from Strafford, Merrimack and Rockingham Counties, as well as the cities of Manchester, Nashua and Concord.