Wanted NH Man Accused Of Dealing Drugs, Felonious Use Of A Firearm

MANCHESTER, NH — Police in New Hampshire’s largest city have issued an alert asking for the public’s help finding a suspected drug dealer involved in a gun case.

Police in Manchester issued two warrants for the arrest of Joseph Ricci, 27. He is wanted for possession of a controlled drug with intent to distribute and felonious use of a firearm, both felonies.

Ricci, a felon due to a drug conviction in March 2021 after an incident in Manchester two years ago, was arrested on a resisting arrest or detention charge on June 10 along with four others who were accused of barricading themselves inside a Belmont Street apartment after the shooting of a pregnant woman by a stray bullet.

The charges come just hours after John Barber, a child sexual assaulter, was arrested in Londonderry after a chase. According to a “be-on-the-lookout” call issued for Barber a day after the shooting, investigators claimed there were drugs and weapons inside the Belmont Street building where the bullet came from. Barber and a woman he was with on June 11 were wanted for questioning as part of the pregnant woman shooting case, the alert said.

Heather Hamel, a spokesperson for the department, said these new charges were “not directly related to the shooting.”

Anyone with information about Ricci’s whereabouts is asked to contact Manchester police at 603-668-8711. Anonymous tips can also be submitted to Manchester Crimeline at 603-624-4040.

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