U.S. marshals enlist pontoon boat in chase

SANBORNTON - A local man on the run from police was nabbed recently, thanks in part to a boater who used a pontoon boat to ferry authorities to a hiding place along the shores of Lake Winnisquam, the U.S. Marshal Service said yesterday.

Christopher Langill, 27, had been sought on a warrant alleging bail violation, officials said. He was on supervised released after a 2005 conviction for cocaine distribution.

When members of the U.S. Marshal's Fugitive Task Force tried to arrest Langill at his Black Brook Road residence, he fled into the woods. The Marshal's Service asked for help from surrounding towns and the Gilford police dog.

Langill was arrested 2 1/2 hours later, after the boater took them to the shores of Lake Winnisquam near Dr. True Road.

Langill was surrounded both by land and by sea and was safely arrested, said U.S. Marshal David Cargill.

Langill is currently being held at the Merrimack County Jail pending his initial court appearance at U.S. District Court in Concord today.

The U.S. Marshals Service is the nation's oldest federal law enforcement agency. U.S. Marshals annually capture more federal fugitives than all other federal law enforcement agencies combined.