Alleged Soaking Wet Shoplifter Charged in Bedford

BEDFORD, NH — A Queen City man who allegedly attempted to escape from police by crossing the Merrimack River before he was caught in Manchester was arraigned this morning in Merrimack District Court on charges connected to an alleged shoplifting incident in Bedford last week. Timothy Winslow, 22, of Manchester, was arrested on Dec. 24, 2016, and charged with willful concealment, false report to law enforcement, and resisting arrest or detention.

Editor’s note: This post was derived from information supplied by the Bedford Police Department. It does not indicate a conviction. This link explains the name removal request process for NH Patch police reports.

At just before 10 p.m. on Dec. 23, police reportedly spotted a man pushing a full shopping cart worth of goods toward the rear of a retail store in the Bedford Mall Plaza on South River Road. They made contact with the suspect – later identified as Winslow – who allegedly fled the scene on foot.

“Multiple Bedford units, as well as Manchester Police and the New Hampshire State Police K-9 unit, were dispatched to locate the suspect, who had scaled a fence at the shopping center in the direction of Route 293 in Manchester,” according to Chief John J. Bryfonski of the Bedford Police Department. “During this time, Bedford Police determined that the suspect had stolen the items in the carriage from a local retail store. The merchandise totaled approximately $600.”

Law enforcement on I-293 reportedly heard the suspect fall or jump into the river and were then notified that he had crossed the river. Winslow allegedly emerged in a city neighborhood, soaking wet, not long after leaving the river, and was arrested by Manchester Police.

After being charged and processed in Manchester, he was transported to Bedford and processed there, too. He was released on bail and was arraigned this morning, according to police.