By Tiffany Williams –
ASHLAND, N.H. — A wrong-way driver barrels down Interstate 93 in New Hampshire. Late at night. Headlights pointed straight into oncoming traffic. And it ends in handcuffs.
At 11:43 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 6, 2026, a New Hampshire State Trooper assigned to the Troop F barracks attempted to stop a red 2014 Kia Sorento after observing the vehicle driving southbound in the northbound lanes of I-93 in Ashland.
Southbound. In the northbound lanes.
The trooper flipped on emergency lights and tried to use the cruiser itself to stop the oncoming vehicle. A direct attempt to block disaster.
But authorities say the driver didn’t stop.
The driver of the Kia drove around the cruiser and continued in the wrong direction.
Think about that. A marked cruiser. Emergency lights flashing. A clear signal to stop. Instead, the vehicle allegedly swerves around law enforcement and keeps going — the wrong way on an interstate.
The trooper made a split-second decision. He used a crossover, got ahead of the Kia, and set up tire deflation devices. The Kia drove over the device, and the driver stopped shortly afterward.
That’s how this ended — not with a head-on collision, not with innocent drivers rushed to the ER — but with flattened tires and a traffic stop.
The driver of the Kia was taken into custody and identified as Craig Stanton Pasco, 69, of Wentworth.
Pasco now faces serious charges. He was arrested on a felony charge of reckless conduct with a deadly weapon, and misdemeanor charges of disobeying an officer and aggravated DWI.
Authorities say he was held on preventive detention at Grafton County Jail and is scheduled to appear in Plymouth District Court on Monday, Feb. 9, 2026.
All aspects of this incident remain under investigation. Anyone with information that may assist the investigation is asked to contact Trooper Joseph Leva at (603) 846-3333.