Beverly police search for fugitive New Hampshire couple; arrest another man on unrelated charges

By Gal Tziperman Lotan, Globe Correspondent

Acting on information that turned out to be wrong, police searched a Beverly home Saturday afternoon for the Plaistow, N.H., couple wanted for abusing a 3-year-old, police said.

New Hampshire police have been searching for Jessica Linscott, 23, and her boyfriend, Roland Dow, 27, since Nov. 14, when the couple dropped Linscott’s severely injured 3-year-old son off at Exeter Hospital and disappeared. The child’s wrists and fingers were burned, he had suffered a traumatic brain injury, and his seizures were not being properly treated.

On Saturday, a 911 caller told Beverly police Linscott and Dow were staying at a home in town, Lieutenant Michael Sungy said.

The man living in the home confirmed that a man named Roland and his girlfriend were staying with him, and positively identified them in photos police showed him.

“He said, ‘yeah, those are the two living here,’ ” Sungy said.

When police arrived, the couple ran out of a back door and hid, Sungy said.

Police found the man in a shed behind the home. He turned out to be Roland Lemieux, 31, of Middleton, who had an outstanding warrant from Salem District Court but no relation to Linscott or Dow.

“That’s probably why he was running, because he had a warrant and knew he had a warrant,” Sungy said.

Police found the woman driving nearby and took her in for questioning. They confirmed she is not Linscott and released her, Sungy said. She was not arrested.

Sungy said he did not know why the couple was staying in Beverly. Beverly police are not actively seeking Linscott and Dow, Sungy said.

On Tuesday, Haverhill police got a tip saying Linscott and Dow were seen in the area. Police searched a building on Nichols Street but did not find the couple.

Police charged Linscott with five counts of child endangerment Monday, and Dow with six. Rockingham County Superior Court added first- and second-degree assault counts against Dow Wednesday.