A Maine prisoner who walked off a work crew jobsite in Thomaston earlier in the week was taken into custody in Rochester, New Hampshire on Saturday after a tip from the public led officers to a parked maroon sedan, ending a multi-day, two-state search that pulled in the Maine Department of Corrections, the Rochester Police Department, and federal partners. Brian Day, 45, a community-custody inmate at the Bolduc Correctional Facility in Warren, Maine, was arrested alongside 45-year-old Candice Fisher, the New Hampshire woman investigators had been seeking since earlier in the week, according to reporting from the Bangor Daily News and other regional outlets.

The Rochester capture closes the first chapter of a case that quietly rattled corrections officials in both states, exposing again how thin the line between Maine’s work-release programs and the Granite State’s southern border can be when an inmate decides to bolt.

How the Walk-Off Unfolded

Day was serving a three-and-a-half-year sentence for theft, forgery, and related offenses when he was assigned to a Department of Corrections work crew at a jobsite in Thomaston, Maine on Monday. Bolduc, a minimum-security facility in Knox County, operates a community-custody program that allows carefully screened inmates to work outside the prison walls under loose supervision, with the goal of reentry and skill-building before release. Day had earned that status during his sentence.

Sometime during the workday on Monday, Day left the jobsite. Corrections officers reported him missing later that day, and a regional bulletin went out almost immediately, naming Day and warning that he was believed to be traveling with a New Hampshire woman, Candice Fisher, who had her own outstanding arrest warrant.

By Tuesday, Maine investigators had named Fisher publicly. By midweek, the case had become a coordinated cross-border manhunt, with Maine State Police, the Maine Department of Corrections fugitive team, and New Hampshire law enforcement comparing notes on possible sightings of the maroon 2011 Nissan Altima they suspected the pair was using.

The Arrest in Rochester

On Saturday, Rochester police acted on what officials described as “information from the public” that placed the Altima in the Strafford County city, roughly an hour and a half south of Bolduc by car. Officers located the vehicle, conducted a stop, and arrested both Day and Fisher without further incident, according to a Maine Department of Corrections statement.

Day was returned to Maine custody on the original sentence plus what corrections officials said would be additional charges related to the escape. Fisher was held on her preexisting warrant pending extradition. Neither was reported injured during the stop, and no weapons were recovered, though a full inventory of the vehicle remained pending as of Sunday morning.

The Maine Department of Corrections used the closure to thank residents who phoned in tips, a reminder that publicized fugitive cases still depend heavily on civilian eyes. “Information from the public led to the arrests,” the agency said in a brief statement, echoing similar wording from Rochester police.

Why Rochester, and Why It Matters to New Hampshire

For Granite Staters, the case is a useful illustration of how often cross-border corrections issues quietly land in New Hampshire. Rochester sits in Strafford County, less than 20 minutes from the Maine line and along Route 16, the main artery connecting the Lakes Region and the Seacoast with coastal Maine. Travelers, including those who would rather not be found, move between Sanford, Springvale, and Rochester routinely. Rochester police have flagged in past reports that the city’s role as a corridor city brings with it a steady trickle of fugitive cases, narcotics activity, and warrant pickups that originate elsewhere.

The fact that a Maine community-custody inmate could so easily reach New Hampshire by Saturday, after disappearing from a Thomaston job site on Monday, will likely prompt at least an internal review at Bolduc. Maine’s work-release programs have generally been popular with corrections reformers because they cut costs and lower recidivism, but each high-profile walk-off feeds a political appetite for tighter controls. The Knox County district attorney’s office has not yet said whether it will pursue felony escape charges or rely on the administrative sanctions corrections officials can impose on a community-custody inmate who absconds.

For Rochester, this is a clean win at a time when the department has been pressing the city council for additional patrol funding. Public safety officials in the Granite State often note, accurately, that arrests like Saturday’s depend less on raw manpower than on responsive dispatch and good tip-line discipline. Both were on display here.

The Candice Fisher Piece

Fisher’s role remains the open question in the case. New Hampshire authorities have not yet publicly described what she is alleged to have done, beyond confirming she was traveling with Day and was wanted on a preexisting warrant. Regional reporting suggests investigators believed she had picked Day up in or near Thomaston on Monday, which would expose her to potential charges of aiding an escape under Maine statute. Whether New Hampshire prosecutors elect to add to that bill will depend in part on what charges underlie her existing warrant.

State residents who knew Fisher have declined public comment. Court records reviewed by regional outlets show prior arrests but no felonies on her New Hampshire record as of last year.

What Comes Next

Day will face an administrative hearing inside the Maine corrections system to determine the loss of community custody status and any additional time he may serve. He can also be charged criminally with escape, a Class C felony in Maine carrying up to five years in addition to any underlying sentence.

Fisher’s extradition timeline is short. New Hampshire and Maine maintain a long-standing interstate compact that allows for quick transfers when both states have an interest, and Strafford County Superior Court can typically process a waiver within days if a defendant agrees not to contest it.

The Rochester Police Department, in a short Sunday note, said it would forward its full incident report to the Maine Department of Corrections by midweek. Bolduc’s superintendent has not yet commented on whether the facility will pause community-custody assignments while the review is underway.

For New Hampshire readers tracking the broader pattern of corrections-to-community accountability cases, this arrest sits alongside other recent stories worth keeping in mind, including New Hampshire’s own debate over how to handle inmate evidence deadlines under HB 1422, a separate controversy at the Sununu Youth Services Center, and questions raised after the Raymond police shooting about cross-jurisdiction coordination during fast-moving incidents.

What Granite Staters Should Take Away

The Day arrest will probably be a one-news-cycle story for most New Hampshire readers, but it shouldn’t be. Three things are worth noting.

First, work-release programs remain a useful corrections tool that occasionally fails in expensive and public ways. Maine has not yet released the criteria that put Day on community status, and that criteria deserves a look.

Second, the cross-border dynamic between southern Maine and Strafford County is real. Rochester, Somersworth, and Dover all see periodic spillover from Maine cases, and the working relationships between local departments are part of what made Saturday’s arrest possible.

Third, the public tip line worked. Maine corrections explicitly credited civilian information for closing the case. In a state that prides itself on personal responsibility and community awareness, that’s worth a small nod.

FAQ

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Who is Brian Day and what was he serving time for?

Brian Day, 45, was an inmate at the Bolduc Correctional Facility in Warren, Maine, serving a three-and-a-half-year sentence for theft, forgery, and related offenses. He had earned community-custody status, which allowed him to work outside the prison on supervised work crews.

How did Day end up in Rochester, New Hampshire?

Day walked off a work site in Thomaston, Maine on Monday and was believed to be traveling with Candice Fisher, 45, of New Hampshire, in a maroon 2011 Nissan Altima. Rochester police, acting on a tip from the public, located the vehicle in the city on Saturday and arrested both Day and Fisher.

What charges does Day now face?

Day will face an internal administrative review through the Maine Department of Corrections for losing his community-custody status and could be charged criminally with escape, a Class C felony in Maine that carries up to five additional years on top of any existing sentence.

Why was Candice Fisher arrested?

Fisher was wanted on a preexisting New Hampshire warrant and is alleged to have been traveling with Day after he left the jobsite. New Hampshire authorities have not detailed the underlying charges, and Maine investigators have signaled they may pursue additional charges related to aiding an escape.

Does this affect Maine's work-release program in any way?

The Maine Department of Corrections has not announced a pause on community-custody assignments at Bolduc, but an internal review is expected. Walk-off incidents historically prompt reviews of screening criteria and supervision protocols rather than program suspension.