Clinton Campaign Hostage-Taker Charged With Bank Robbery

Leeland Eisenberg has a lengthy criminal history

A man who took hostages at a New Hampshire Hillary Clinton campaign office back in 2007 has been arrested for bank robbery.

Leeland Eisenberg, 55, of Concord, was arrested on Tuesday.

Manchester Police said they responded to a bank robbery at Citizens Bank at 875 Elm St. shortly after noon on Tuesday. A man wearing dark pants, a blue jacket and eyeglasses and sunglasses on his head allegedly entered the bank and handed the teller a note demanding cash. He fled on foot in an unknokwn direction after receiving an undisclosed amount of cash.

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Surveillance footage from Tuesday's Citizens Bank robbery in Manchester, New Hampshire.

Based on video surveillance from the bank, police issued an arrest warrant for Eisenberg.

Around 6:45 p.m. on Tuesday, two police officers spotted Eisenberg in the area of the Valley Street Cemetery and took him into custody without incident. He was found in possession of a small amount of cash and 6.5 grams of crack cocaine.

In addition to the bank robbery charge, Eisenberg is charged with possession of a controlled drug. He was arraigned on Wednesday afternoon via telephone from Catholic Medical Center, though it was not clear why he was there.

"We do not deny anyone the right to medical treatment at any time during the booking process," said Manchester Police Lt. Brian O'Keefe.

Eisenberg was ordered held on $25,000 cash bail.

The suspect spent about two years behind bars for the November 2007 siege at Clinton's Rochester campaign office in which he claimed to have a bomb. No one was hurt in the five-hour standoff and the bomb turned out to be road flares.

At his arraignment, his lawyer portrayed Eisenberg as a man at the end of his rope emotionally after being repeatedly turned down when he sought psychiatric help. Eisenberg "heard voices and saw a movie in his head telling him he had to sacrifice himself" to shine light on the flaws in the health care system, his attorney said.

Eisenberg was released on probation in November 2009. His first violation occurred soon after his release, when he failed to charge his monitoring bracelet. He was incarcerated in January 2010 after failing to take mandatory alcohol breath tests.

Eisenberg escaped Sunday, was found Monday in Manchester, NH

In February 2010, he cut off his electronic monitoring bracelet and fled, a day after being given a last chance at freedom by a judge who released him despite multiple probation violations. He was found in his Dover apartment the next day.

Leeland Eisenberg, who took hostages in 2007, escaped from a minimum security facility on Sunday

Eisenberg was released on parole in 2014 but then jailed again last year after making threats to blow up buildings in Manchester. 

Jeffrey Lyons, a spokesman for the state Department of Corrections, said Eisenberg was released on parole on June 7. His 3-1/2 to 7 year sentences for criminal threatening and false reporting of explosives were set to end on Feb. 7, 2017. Then he would have begun serving a 2-year probation for his 2014 escape conviction.

Eisenberg's long criminal record also includes two rape convictions.

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