Army Deserter Arrested After Crash in Merrimack

A local war hero who was charged with desertion more than four years ago was arrested on charges after a crash on the Everett Turnpike in Merrimack yesterday afternoon.

Jeremy Bakaian, 29, of Nashua, was arrested on March 11, 2015, and charged with being a fugitive from justice and negligent driving.

According to a report from the New Hampshire State Police, at around 5 p.m., a multi-vehicle accident occurred just north of Exit 10 in Merrimack on the northbound side of the highway.

There were minor injuries reported and the left travel lane was shutdown for about 30 minutes so that the vehicles could be removed. While this was occurring, and traffic was at a slow pace, Bakaian allegedly failed to stop for traffic and rear-ended “the vehicle in front of him with a high degree of force, sending that vehicle from the left lane into the middle lane of the roadway,” according to the report. Bakaian’s vehicle then reportedly continued straight in the left lane and struck another vehicle, according to the state police.

A check of Bakaian, who served in the Iraq conflict, yielded an active desertion charge and he was arrested and held without bail. He’s scheduled to be arraigned on March 12.

Editor’s note: This post was derived from information supplied by the New Hampshire State Police. 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.