Fugitive of the Week Found Sleeping on Laconia Porch

Concord, NH – Today's featured "Fugitive of the Week," John Arthur Cathcart, 55 years-of-age, was located sleeping on a porch on Batchelder Street in Laconia, New Hampshire. Mr. Cathcart was being sought on multiple outstanding arrest warrants issued by the Belknap County Superior Court. These warrants included failing to appear on a charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm and failing to appear on three outstanding narcotics charges.

Cathcart had just been featured this morning as the "Fugitive of the Week." This feature was aired on WTPL-FM, WMUR-TV, The Union Leader, The Nashua Telegraph, The Patch, Foster's Daily Democrat, Manchester Information, the Manchester Ink Link, the Rochester Voice and prominently featured on the internet. The "Fugitive of the Week" continues to be a very successful tool that has resulted in the location and arrest of numerous fugitives since its implementation in 2007. Additionally, the "Fugitive of the Week" is distributed statewide to all New Hampshire law enforcement officers.

Shortly after being featured, members of the U.S. Marshals – New Hampshire Joint Fugitive Task Force conducted interviews in the Laconia area. As a result of the interviews, investigators were pointed to a possible location of Cathcart. The task force checked the porch of a residence located on Batchelder Street and were able to locate and arrest Mr. Cathcart without any incident. Cathcart was transported to the Belknap County Jail for processing and holding pending his initial court appearance.

This arrest was made by several member agencies of the New Hampshire Joint Fugitive Task Force including the Belknap, Strafford and Rockingham County Sheriff's Offices along with deputy U.S. Marshals.

Since the inception of the New Hampshire Joint Fugitive Task Force in 2002, these partnerships have resulted in over 8,061 arrests (Updated as of 06/30/2020). These arrests have ranged in seriousness from murder, assault, unregistered sex offenders, probation and parole violations and numerous other serious offenses. Nationally the United States Marshals Service fugitive programs are carried out with local law enforcement in 94 district offices, 85 local fugitive task forces, 8 regional task forces, as well as a growing network of offices in foreign countries.