Paul Kiel February 20, 2008, 5:14 PM

It’s official: staging a car crash is not the best election strategy. Not only did Gary Dodds lose the Democratic primary for New Hampshire’s 1st District Congressional seat, but he’s been convicted for the stunt. From the AP:

A jury convicted Gary Dodds of falsifying evidence, causing a false public alarm and leaving the scene of the April 2006 crash. He showed no emotion as the verdicts were returned on the first day of deliberations after a 15-day trial.

Dodds, 43, claims he injured his head in a crash on the Spaulding Turnpike and nearly drowned in a river before being rescued 27 hours later from the snowy woods. Prosecutors say he spent part of that time soaking his feet in cold water to make it appear he spent the night outdoors, all to boost his faltering campaign.

“He had a story that he was going to stick to,” County Attorney Thomas Velardi said during closing arguments Friday. “It would’ve been a heroic story. It would’ve been a great story — all the people who hadn’t heard of him before … really would’ve known who he was.”

I’m still not clear on how getting into a one-car accident and then going missing for a day, and then being discovered wet and shivering makes for a “heroic story.” But in any case, staging it is a crime.