Two-day search in Keene ends with arraignment for Nelson man

Police said Boyer was taken into custody near Walmart in Riverside Plaza on Friday by Keene officers and state troopers.

Patrick Allen Boyer, 39, of Nelson, appeared in district court Monday after police arrested him in Keene last week following a two-day manhunt.

Boyer entered not-guilty pleas to nine misdemeanor counts and declined to enter a plea on six felony charges. Court records list the felony allegations as two counts of theft by unauthorized taking, two counts of reckless conduct with a deadly weapon, criminal restraint, and second-degree assault involving domestic violence and strangulation. The case summary notes that a vehicle can be treated as a deadly weapon under the law.

The misdemeanor case includes three counts of resisting arrest, two counts of disobeying an officer, two counts of simple assault, conduct after an accident, and obstructing the report of a crime. The summary also lists additional disobeying-an-officer charges.

Police said Boyer was taken into custody near Walmart in Riverside Plaza on Friday by Keene officers and state troopers, ending the search and the shelter-in-place order that had affected northeastern Keene. The manhunt began after authorities secured a felony warrant tied to a reported assault, according to State Police Capt. Vincent Grieco.

The charges filed against Boyer involve incidents in four towns: Keene, Nelson, Stoddard and Sullivan. During Monday’s hearing, Judge Patrick Ryan said Boyer must avoid contact with an alleged victim as part of his bail conditions.

A probable cause hearing is set for Wednesday, Sept. 30, in Keene, where a judge will decide whether the evidence is enough to proceed.