By BEVERLEY WANG, Associated Press Writer
November 26, 2007
Gary Dodds was vying for a Democratic Party congressional nomination
when he crashed his car in April 2006 and said he wandered
in a daze through the woods. He told police he crossed a
river and bedded down in a pile of leaves until a rescue
dog found him 27 hours later.
Prosecutors charged Dodds this past April with falsifying
physical evidence, a felony, and two misdemeanor charges: leaving
the scene of an accident and causing false public alarm. His
trial is to begin in January.
According to documents filed by Strafford County prosecutor
Thomas R. Miscio, Dodds made up the story to elicit public
sympathy and donations to his campaign. Dodds needed the money
to help repay debts and avoid a possible investigation by the
Federal Elections Commission into his campaign finances, Miscio
wrote in the papers, which were dated Wednesday.
Neither Dodds nor his attorney, J.P. Nadeau, returned phone
messages left Thursday by The Associated Press. Both have previously
denied any wrongdoing by Dodds.
Miscio is seeking to introduce as evidence letters written
by the FEC to Dodds' campaign saying the agency was considering
an audit because of discrepancies in finance reports.
Miscio alleged that Dodds had, without his wife's knowledge,
taken out two mortgages totaling $90,000 to fund his campaign.
Dodds contributed more than $130,000 to his own campaign between
July 2005 and September 2006, according to FEC reports. Former
campaign aide Corey Corbin is expected to testify that Dodds
had agreed with his wife to spend only $50,000 of their money
on the campaign, Miscio wrote.
At a news conference upon his hospital release following the
crash, a hospital spokeswoman said Dodds suffered nerve damage
to his feet, a concussion and situational amnesia.
Dodds placed third in the four-way Democratic primary, losing
to Carol Shea-Porter, who defeated Republican Rep. Jeb Bradley
in the general election.
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