Ryan McLaughlin
Bangor Daily News
BREWER, Maine — A father and son who were wanted in New Hampshire for bail jumping were taken into custody in Brewer on Thursday night, according to police.
Edward Janak, 38, formerly of Laconia, N.H., and his son, Brandon, 18, of Laconia, had fled the Granite State to avoid facing jail terms, according to Jeffrey White Jr. of the U.S. Marshals Service.
The elder Janak had been awaiting sentencing on an assault charge from 2007 while Brandon was due to be sentenced for narcotics possession, according to White.
Edward Janak had been on the loose in Brewer since 2007 while Brandon was scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 1, according to Deputy Steve Colcord of the Belknap (N.H.) County Sheriff’s Office.
“We started looking for [Brandon] in mid-August,” said Colcord.
Brandon Janak recently was featured on a Fugitive of the Week segment on several Concord-area TV stations, White said.
The suspects were traced to Brewer, and Detective Fred Luce started an investigation, according to Brewer police Lt. Chris Martin.
“He started trying to track it down and determined these individuals were living in Brewer,” said Martin.
Brewer police, in coordination with the U.S. Marshals Service and the Belknap County Sheriff’s Department, converged on a Church Street apartment where the suspects had been living, according to White.
Colcord said police were easily able to track down Edward Janak when an arrest warrant was issued for Brandon.
“When we started looking for the son and realized [Edward’s] the dad, we found them together,” Colcord said. “It was worth the ride to head up there and get two at once.”
The elder Janak was taken into custody without incident, but Brandon Janak was found cowering in a hallway.
After realizing he was surrounded, Brandon surrendered to authorities without incident, Martin said.
“Luce spent the day surveilling the place and they picked the right time to grab these two,” Martin said.
Both suspects were charged with bail jumping and transported to the Penobscot County Jail, where they remained Friday morning, pending a court appearance later Friday.
New Hampshire authorities, along with the U.S. Marshals Service, are continuing to investigate what led to the suspects’ escape, and White said further charges could be pending.
Copyright 2012 Bangor Daily News