Missing Tire on a Truck Leads to Meth Arrest

A local man with a history of previous arrests and alleged criminal activity is facing more charges after police found his truck on the side of Route 3A.

Kyle Putnam, 30, of North Main Street in Boscawen, was arrested at just after midnight on Dec. 19, 2015, for felony possession of controlled drugs, driving after revocation or suspension, attaching plates, and numerous warrants. Also arrested was John Letendre, 27, who was charged with possession of drugs.

Editor’s note: This post was derived from information supplied by the Bow Police Department. It does not indicate a conviction. Click this link to find out how to get a name removed from a New Hampshire Patch police report.

According to a court affidavit, on Dec. 18, an officer and lieutenant were called to Route 3A for a disabled truck that was missing a tire.

When they arrived at the scene, they ran the plates of the truck and it came back to a 2006 Ford Taurus, not a truck. Police spoke with a passenger of the vehicle – Letendre – who stated that Putnam was the driver and he had left the scene to find assistance.

“John denied driving and having any knowledge of the plates not belonging to the truck,” according to the officer.

A check of Putnam yielded multiple active warrants so the lieutenant began looking for him but was unable to find him. During that time, the officer conducted an inventory of the truck and allegedly found methamphetamine in the center console and two hypodermic needles. Letendre reportedly denied any knowledge of the drugs but was taken in to custody and charged while the truck was towed from the scene.

At just after midnight, as the officer was leaving the police station, he saw a man matching Putnam’s description, notified dispatch, and made contact with the man. The man was Putnam and he was arrested.

“Kyle admitted to driving the truck when the tire came off,” the officer reported in a court affidavit. “He admitted to knowing that he was under suspension and also admitted to putting a false plate on the truck.”

Putnam was processed on the charges, refused bail, and was held at the Merrimack County House of Corrections. He was arraigned remotely on Dec. 21.

According to police reports, Putnam has been arrested numerous times during the past few years.

He was arrested on numerous charges in September after allegedly passing counterfeit money at a local hotel. In March of last year, he was arrested on numerous driving charges after losing his license for DWI in 2013. He was arrested in Concord for not appearing in court in Laconia on the DWI charge. Putnam was reportedly arrested for strong-armed robbery in 2009 in Concord after an incident on North State Street.