Call to Police Leads to the Arrest of 'Fugitive of the Week'

Concord, NH – The United States Marshals Service is happy to announce that a phone call to the Berwick, Maine Police Department led to the arrest of "Fugitive of the Week," Zachary Sutton this past Monday evening.

"Fugitive of the Week," Zachary Alexander Sutton, 29 years-of-age, was wanted on a Strafford County Superior Court arrest warrant for bail violations. Sutton is on bail on two charges alleging second degree assault by strangulation on one child and an assault on a second child in Rochester, NH in 2020.

Mr. Sutton had been featured as the "Fugitive of the Week" on April 20, 2022, which was 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 implementation in 2007. Additionally, the "Fugitive of the Week" was distributed statewide to all law enforcement officers in New Hampshire.

Since the feature, the NH Joint Fugitive Task Force had received several tips pointing to Portsmouth and Somersworth, NH; as well as Lebanon & Berwick, Maine areas. On April 25th, the Berwick Maine Police Department received a report of Sutton attempting to break into a family members home. Upon the arrival of the Berwick Police Department, Sutton had fled into the woods and was captured a short time later.

Mr. Sutton was charged as a fugitive from justice on the outstanding warrant out of Strafford County Superior Court. Sutton is currently housed at the York County Jail in Maine pending his court appearance and return to Strafford County New Hampshire.

This investigation was conducted by the U.S. Marshals – NH Joint Fugitive Task Force, including members from the Strafford County Sheriff's Office, the Greenfield, Somersworth, and Portsmouth Police Departments, along with deputy U.S. Marshals, with the arrest ultimately being made by the Berwick Police Department this past Monday.

U.S. Marshal Nick Willard said, "It is often the case that fugitives get desperate and unpredictable while on the run" Willard continued, "We feature these fugitives as the “Fugitive of the Week” in an effort to get them back into custody and in front of a Judge before they potentially do something even more serious."

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.