Crime & Safety

Alleged Worcester Child Rapist Arrested in NH

Joseph Pettingell II was arrested as a fugitive from justice after Mass. State Police tracked his truck to Route 3A in Bow.

BOW, NH – A Massachusetts man was arrested as a fugitive from justice after being arrested at a truck stop in Bow last week, according to a court affidavit.

Jospeh Pettingell II, 37, of Worcester, MA, was arrested on June 28, 2016, on a felony fugitive from justice charge.

Editor’s note: This post was derived from information supplied by the Bow Police Department and Concord District Court. It does not indicate a conviction. This link explains the name removal request process for NH Patch police reports.

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At around 2:30 p.m., a Mass. State Police trooper, from the department’s fugitive team, called Bow Police to let them know that they were searching for Pettingell on an active warrant by the Worcester Police Department for rape of a child under 14-years-old, according to the affidavit.

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The trooper stated that she may have tracked Pettingell down to a service station on Route 3A.

“(The trooper) knew this because Pettingell’s work truck’s GPS indicated he was at Sullivan Tire on Route 3A in Bow, as recent as five minutes ago,” according to the officer.

The trooper told the officer that they would be extraditing Pettingell after his arrest. The officer confirmed the warrant and then he, another officer, and a sergeant went to Sullivan Tire.

“We spoke with an employee at the front desk who pointed us to Pettingell,” the officer alleged. “Pettingell was standing alone in the parking lot.”

The officers spoke with Pettingell, confirmed it was him, and arrested him, according to the report. He was held without bail and arraigned from the Merrimack County House of Corrections the next day.

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