Mar 31, 2008 3:23 pm US/Eastern
Former Candidate Sentenced For Fake Crash
DOVER, N.H. (WBZ) ―
A former New Hampshire congressional candidate has been sentenced to 20 days in jail and a year of home confinement for faking his disappearance after a car crash to boost his campaign.
Gary Dodds of Rye also was ordered to repay the state and various law enforcement agencies the $20,500 they spent looking for him when he crashed in Dover two years ago.
Dodds was found guilty last month of falsifying evidence, conduct after an accident and causing false public alarm for allegedly faking a car accident and then disappearing for more than a day in April 2006.
Prosecutors said Dodds, 43, staged the car crash to draw attention to his campaign.
Dodds told police he was lost in the woods but police officials believe he soaked his feet to make it look like he'd been hurt.
The crash happened on the Spaulding Turnpike where Dodds was found during a multi-agency search in the woods near the Bellamy River after he had been missing for 27 hours.
Dodds maintained his innocence and took the stand in his own defense during his trial. The defense had argued that Dodds is a law-abiding citizen who had no reason to intentionally hurt himself and that police botched the search for Dodds and the subsequent investigation.
When Dodds was found, police said his feet were purple, but the rest of his body was not. They said they think Dodds soaked his feet in water for up to 10 hours to make his story more believable.
Dodd claims he doesn't remember the 40 minutes before the crash. He also can't explain his EZ Pass records that show him going through a toll.
Dodds, a Democrat, had hoped to challenge the U.S. Rep. Jeb Bradley in the 2006 election.
(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
