Past Fugitive, Attempting To Flee From Sheriffs, Charged Again

CONCORD, NH — A Concord man with a long criminal history was recently charged with resisting arrest or detention after fleeing from Merrimack County deputies, New Hampshire State Police, and Concord police during a chase. Jonathan Benedict, 34, was wanted by sheriffs on warrants when a call went over the radio that he was in the area of the Sewalls Falls Road. A sergeant in an unmarked vehicle heard the call and was in the area, so he decided to assist in the search.

Later, the sergeant heard over the scanner that the suspect was in the area of a school. The sergeant knew it was Beaver Meadow Elementary School and headed there.

While scanning the area around the school from an unmarked cruiser, the officer spotted Benedict along the wooded area on the southern side of the parking.

"He was initially sprinting," the sergeant stated, "and when he got out into the open space, he slowed down to catch his breath."

The sergeant didn't see a deputy and wasn't aware of any other units in the area. Benedict, he noted, was about 30 feet away. The sergeant, while wearing a police vest over plainclothes, exited the cruiser and drew his weapon, an affidavit claimed. He ordered Benedict to the ground.

"Jonathan, it's over," he wrote. "Just get to the ground."

The sergeant accused Benedict of "sprinting northernly away" from him back to Sewalls Falls Road. The sergeant chased him while shouting for him to stop but he allegedly refused. Benedict reportedly ran across the street, into the Maple Grove Cemetery, and later, a wooded area along the cemetery.

Since the sergeant didn't have his radio, he headed back to his cruiser. A sheriff's deputy emerged from the woods not long after that and the sergeant briefed him on the direction Benedict had fled in. The sergeant also gave an updated clothing description for Benedict as other units arrived, set up a perimeter, in an attempt to capture him. The teams, however, were unsuccessful, the report stated.

The sergeant filed an affidavit for Benedict's arrest on May 30. About a month later, on June 24, Benedict was charged by Concord police with resisting arrest or detention based on his alleged refusal to be captured.

Benedict, according to posts on Patch, has been arrested and convicted numerous times of many different crimes during the past seven years.

In February 2012, he was arrested on a burglary charge after an incident on Manchester Street. After being convicted of the crime and released, he became a New Hampshire Fugitive of the Week in October 2014, due to probation violations. At the time, officials had been hunting for Benedict for a month and task force members noted that he had an extensive criminal history of theft, resisting, escape, and other charges. He was arrested a few days later, hiding out in Hooksett. In August 2016, he was arrested on drug and motor vehicle charges, as well as warrants after reportedly driving his vehicle in an off-limits area, near powerlines, near Garvins Falls Road. In January, he was arrested by state police on a warrant. A month later, he was arrested near Turtle Town Pond on drug charges. He was indicted later that year on a meth possession charge. In March 2019, he was arrested on criminal trespass and felony receiving stolen property charges due to two prior convictions.

Editor's note: This post was derived from information supplied by the Concord Police Department and Concord District Court and does not indicate a conviction. This link explains the removal request process for New Hampshire Patch police reports.

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