Free Republic

DOVER, N.H. -- A congressional candidate staged a car crash, fabricated his disappearance and altered his appearance to gain publicity for his 2006 campaign, prosecutors alleged in court documents. Investigators said that Gary Dodds faked an accident and disappearance in April 2006 because he believed that the publicity would increase the visibility of his primary campaign for the U.S. House.

MANCHESTER, N.H. -- E-ZPass data can be a useful tool for police -- a fact highlighted by the state police investigation of congressional candidate Gary Dodds' accident. Dodds crashed his car into a guardrail on the Spaulding Turnpike on the night of April 5. He said he wandered away, swam across the Bellamy River, then huddled in the woods for warmth until he was found a day later. Dodds, 41, of Rye, has not been charged with any crime. However, state police have said his account of the accident did not jibe with certain facts and that there is evidence...

Dodds, hospital spokesman, state police speak to press By Elizabeth Dinan edinan@seacoastonline.com PORTSMOUTH — Crashing his Continental, then getting lost for 26 hours, caused congressional candidate Gary Dodds to suffer a concussion, "situational amnesia" and significant nerve damage to his feet, said Portsmouth Regional Hospital spokesman Nancy Notis. During a 5-minute press conference held in a hospital courtyard Friday, Notis and Dodds spoke in front of eight television cameras, a half-dozen still cameras and a dozen news reporters, proving Dodds’ ordeal has also brought him name recognition. Surrounded by family and hospital officals Gary Dodds is wheeled out of Portsmouth...

Dodds can’t recall details By CLYNTON NAMUO Union Leader Correspondent 5 hours, 48 minutes ago Portsmouth – Gary Dodds, who was missing for more than 24 hours after an accident on the Spaulding Turnpike, was recuperating yesterday at Portsmouth Regional Hospital where he was taken after being found semi-conscious late Thursday night. Dodds, a Democratic candidate for the U.S. House, was being kept overnight for observation and it was not yet known when he would be released, his wife, Cindy Dodds, said yesterday. “They don’t seem to be concerned about any brain injury or anything. They just think it was...

Dover – A volunteer searcher and her dog found a missing congressional hopeful alive in the woods Thursday night, more than 24 hours after he disappeared after a car accident. Gary Dodds, 41, of Rye, was found around 10 p.m., a mile or more from the Route 16 accident site near the Dover tolls. He was taken to a hospital to be treated for hypothermia. Fish and Game Lt. John Wimsatt said Dodds had crossed the Bellamy River and was slipping in and out of consciousness when found. "I don't have an explanation on how he would end up over...

PORTSMOUTH, N.H. - A congressional hopeful wrecked his car and wandered a mile in a daze, swimming across a river and then huddling under leaves for warmth until he was found alive a day later, officials and relatives said. Gary Dodds, 41, was taken to a hospital to be treated for hypothermia late Thursday. His wife, Cynthia, said Friday that he was doing well but has only foggy memories of his ordeal and "definitely had a good bump to the head." Dodds crashed on the Spaulding Turnpike on Wednesday evening, but emergency workers who arrived a few minutes later found...