CONTACT: CO Nicholas Masucci 603-271-3361 February 7, 2022

Bennington, NH – On February 6, 2022, at approximately 5:51 p.m., New Hampshire Fish and Game was notified by New Hampshire State Police Dispatch of a snowmobile crash on the Toll Booth Tavern Trail in Bennington. The crash occurred in the woods approximately 0.5 miles north of Francestown Road. Bennington Police Department, Bennington Fire Department, Francestown Fire Department, Antrim Fire Department, Antrim Police Department, and three NH Conservation Officers responded to the scene.

Conservation Officers utilized snowmobiles to relay rescuers and equipment to the scene. The victim, identified as 30-year-old Kevin Desmarais of Hancock, New Hampshire, had struck a tree and was suffering from serious bodily injury. Rescuers carried Desmarais in a litter 0.5 miles to Francestown Road. He was then transported by ambulance to the Crotched Mountain Ski Resort where he was transferred to the Dartmouth Hitchcock Advanced Response Team (DHART) helicopter. Desmarais was then flown to Concord Hospital for treatment of his injuries.

During the rescue, evidence developed that Desmarais had been operating his snowmobile while under the influence of alcohol. Desmarais was subsequently arrested for felony driving while intoxicated.

Conservation Officers also arrested one of Desmarais’s riding companions during the incident. Dylan Fotter, 30, of Greenfield, New Hampshire, was arrested for driving a snowmobile while intoxicated and felony possession of a controlled drug. Desmarais’s and Fotter’s snowmobiles were towed from the scene.

New Hampshire Fish and Game reminds snowmobile riders to obey posted speed limits and to not mix alcohol and drugs with snowmobiling. Many snowmobile trails throughout New Hampshire are in good riding condition, so please enjoy the trails safely.