Local NH Folk Hero ‘River Dave’ Has Sadly Been Arrested Again. – Q1065.fm

Oh boy, here we go again.

There’s a lot to unpack here. So let’s go back a bit. Over the summer, we introduced you to “River Dave”, who’s pretty much a local legend in rural New Hampshire. Decades ago, he’d made an agreement with a local landowner to squat on a small plot of land down by the Merrimack River in Canterbury, N.H.

He claimed that the original owner of the land had made a verbal agreement with him to live there as long as he wanted, with no fear of having to move. But as years went by, the current owner, who’s the son of the previous owner, had no such agreement with Dave, and wanted him off the property.

Then, Dave was arrested for trespassing.

The current owner had environmental concerns about Dave’s presence, and he was also selling firewood from trees that he cut down on the property, as his income. Dave was eventually jailed, but released after his cabin burned down. Sure, the fire seemed fishy, but no charges were pressed.

He was then offered money from a tech billionaire who wanted to give him money for a new home. But that offer may not have been enough for Dave, who was just arrested again….. for living on the same property he was kicked off from, according to CentralMaine.com.

Old habits die hard. And homes too.

After the fire over the summer, there was still one woodshed left standing. Dave recently returned to the spot and had put a wood stove in the shed and was living in it. Dave says he’s standing up for what’s right, and sometimes that’s the most important thing. Is it right if it’s against the law, though?

Not my call to make. But, how much trouble can an 81-year-old man cause? Again, not up to me. But, like it or not, he doesn’t own the land. We’ll see how it shakes out. Dave is due in court for the latest charges in March. But probably the same question is on everyone’s mind… Will Dave stay off the property? I’m sure we’ll find out.

Here’s Dave’s original tale….