NH Man Gets 11 Years In Prison After Two-State Crime Spree

CONCORD, NH — A New Hampshire man was sentenced in federal court this week to 11 years in prison after committing numerous crimes in two states in 2016, according to the U.S. District Court. Michael Munroe aka Michael Monroe, 34, formerly of Raymond, NH, received the sentence on Nov. 7, 2017, after pleading guilty to the crimes in June. Munroe’s crime spree started on March 19, 2016, after he assaulted an Epping resident.

About a week later, on March 27, 2016, he stole a Honda Pilot in Manchester. The next day, he robbed the Northway Bank in Ossipee, NH. And, a few days later, he hit Granite State Credit Union in Seabrook, NH.

“He committed each robbery by passing a demand note to the teller threatening that he had a gun and demanding money,” according to acting-U.S. Attorney John J. Farley. “There was no evidence that Munroe actually was armed at the time. Following each robbery, Munroe fled the scene.”

Law enforcement officials began a manhunt for Munroe after the bank robberies and during that time, he was involved in other crimes in both New Hampshire and Massachusetts.

On March 30, 2016, he carjacked a Lexus ES300 in Tewksbury, MA, and attempted to carjack a Toyota Highlander from a woman in Reading, MA, the next day. On April 1, 2016, he stole a Honda CR-V in Derry, NH. The next day, Munroe and an alleged accomplice, Rebecca Norton, also of Raymond, NH, were arrested in Hancock, NH.

After the 11-year sentence, Munroe will serve three years of supervised release and must pay restitution of nearly $15,000 to the banks and other victims, according to the sentence.

Farley said the case was a good example of how multi-jurisdictions could work together to solve robberies and violent acts of crime.

“I commend the hard work of the law enforcement officers who put a stop to this defendant’s crime spree and prevented him from committing further acts of violence,” he stated.

Harold H. Shaw, the special agent in charge of the FBI Boston Division, added, “The FBI will do everything in its power to prevent criminals like Mr. Munroe from casting a shadow of violence over our streets. While his crime spree has come to an end, we’ll continue to work with our law enforcement partners to combat violent crime and keep our communities safe.”

This case was investigated by the FBI as well as the Manchester, Ossipee, Seabrook, Hancock, Epping, and Derry Police Departments in New Hampshire and the Tewksbury and Reading MA Police Departments. Assistance was provided by the County Attorney’s Offices for Hillsborough, Carroll, and Rockingham Counties in New Hampshire and the Middlesex County Massachusetts District Attorney’s Office.

Munroe, according to reports on Patch, was recently indicted for assaults by prisoners for allegedly striking a man at the Rockingham County House of Corrections in May.

Image via police file photos.