I want to laugh, but this is almost too pathetic:
Dover, N.H. (AP) — A businessman was convicted Wednesday of faking his disappearance after a car crash two years ago to draw attention to his long-shot congressional campaign.
A jury convicted Gary Dodds of falsifying evidence, causing a false public alarm and leaving the scene of the April 2006 crash. He showed no emotion as the verdicts were returned on the first day of deliberations after a 15-day trial.
Prosecutors accused him of staging the stunt — going so far as to soak his feet in cold water for 10 hours — in order to help his unsuccessful campaign. That’s quite hard to believe — I can think of a few better reasons why one might leave the scene of a single-car crash and disappear for 27 hours.
Dodds could have avoided all prison time if he’d pleaded guilty to leaving the scene and paid back the $20,000 spent searching for him. Now he’s facing up to seven years. (In case you’re wondering, he’s a Democrat.)