NH Fugitive Of The Week Morse Arrested At Massachusetts Hotel

CONCORD, NH — A convicted felon with a lengthy criminal history was arrested in Massachusetts Thursday hiding out inside of a hotel.

James "Sonny" Morse, 45, was wanted on three aggravated assault charges and bail violations out of the state of Maine but was thought to be hiding in New Hampshire in mid-June. Since he was believed to be armed and dangerous, and had shown previous violent tendencies in many other cases dating back at least eight years, the District of New Hampshire – New Hampshire Joint Fugitive Task Force featured Morse as its "fugitive of the week," hoping to gather tips about his whereabouts.

The feature led to Morse fleeing the state, according to Jeffrey White, a deputy marshal, and hiding out in Massachusetts again.

"This morning, someone found the James 'Sonny' Morse wanted poster online and called the Massachusetts State Police, who are part of the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force in Mass.," White said. "The anonymous caller indicated that Morse could be found on the 7th floor of a hotel located on Riverside Avenue in Medford, MA."

Members of the task force responded to the hotel and were able to arrest Morse, "with minimal incident, as he initially denied his identity to investigators."

Morse is being held in the Middlesex County Jail in Cambridge on a fugitive from justice charge. He will be returned to Maine to face charges sometime in the future.

Morse is no stranger to police in New England what the Salem News in Massachusetts called a "17-page criminal record," with arrests and convictions around the region.

Morse was arrested in June 2012 on stalking, entering at night for a felony to put a person in fear, intimidation of a witness, two counts of breaking and entering at night to commit a felony, two counts of threatening to commit a crime, two counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon (door), two counts of malicious destruction of property over $250, and three counts of assault and battery in Revere after an incident involving an ex-girlfriend. He was arrested in Danvers in a few months later on attempted murder, kidnapping, assault and battery, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, resisting arrest, deriving support from prostitution and detaining or drugging a person in a brothel. He was accused of kidnapping a woman in Stamford, Connecticut, while also operating an escort service out of hotels in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Morse was later convicted on the prostitution charge, according to press reports.

In March 2017, according to The Salem News, Morse, who was living in Peabody at the time, was facing assault and battery with a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily injury, assault and battery, and four counts of drug possession after being accused of causing a woman's skull fracture during an incident. In May of that year, Morse was featured in a Boston Herald series about pimps, prostitutes, drug abuse, and human trafficking, all around New England.

In August 2018, Morse, then living in North Billerica, was arrested in Gloucester on resisting arrest and being a fugitive from justice out of Maine. He was also wanted for assault and battery with a dangerous weapon in Gloucester.

Editor's note: This post was derived from information supplied by the U.S. Marshals Service and does not indicate a conviction. This link explains the removal request process for New Hampshire Patch police reports.

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