Suspect in handcuffs escapes police

BOSTON

Police were searching yesterday for a Mattapan man who escaped while in handcuffs. Police said that Michael Stokes, 23, jumped off a third-story porch. Police had responded to a report of person with a gun at 28 Whitman St., where they placed Stokes in handcuffs on the stairs while they investigated. Police said that once they decided to arrest him, Stokes ran onto the porch and jumped three stories to escape. A gun was recovered, but police said Stokes should be considered armed and dangerous.

CAPE COD

The Frenchman who has tried twice since last weekend to row across the Atlantic Ocean was returned to shore by a Coast Guard helicopter last night, officials said. Charlie Girard, who is seeking to break the world record for a solo row boat voyage across the Atlantic, was hoisted up about 9 p.m. by a helicopter after poor visibility hindered his ability to continue, officials said. Once he determined he could not continue, Girard used his satellite phone to call a friend in Orleans, who notified the Coast Guard, which took him to the base on Cape Cod. The boat was left adrift 50 miles east of Provincetown, and officials warned ships in the area of the floating object. Girard set out on June 30 but was forced to return hours later when his boat sprang a leak. He launched a second time Wednesday.

GLOUCESTER

A Gloucester family of four escaped a fire yesterday that destroyed their house. Two firefighters suffered minor injuries as they battled the two-alarm blaze. "The house is a total loss," said Acting Deputy Chief Barry Aptt of the Gloucester Fire Department. Police and firefighters arrived at the home on Woodman Road at 12:20 a.m. The family had already evacuated and was safe at a neighbor's house, police said. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

EVERETT

Everett police are looking for an Everett woman who is six months' pregnant and has been missing since Tuesday. Holly-Ann Rock, 18, was last seen entering a maroon or dark green 1989 Mazda 626 with Maine registration 4755 PK. The Mazda is registered to James Tully, 37, of Waterville, Maine, police said during a press conference yesterday about the missing teenager at police headquarters in Everett. A husky 6-foot-3-inch man with dark hair and glasses and an older female were also in the vehicle, police said. Rock gave conflicting stories to her parents when she left, police said, adding that Rock left willingly.

PORT ANGELES, Wash.

A search was under way for a hiker from the Boston area who is missing in Olympic National Park in Washington state. The missing hiker is identified as 45-year-old Mary O'Brien. The search began Wednesday after O'Brien failed to return Tuesday from a day hike in the Sol Duc area. She is described as a strong, experienced hiker in good health. (AP)

STRATFORD, Conn.

Police are investigating what caused a head-on crash Wednesday that killed two children and injured four other people. The two children who died -- Morgan Pitera, 6, and John Pitera, 9, both of Shelton -- were riding in a Nissan Murano with their mother, Marsha Pitera, and their 7-year-old sister, Haley. They were heading north on Main Street near the Shelton line when their vehicle collided with a southbound Chevrolet cargo van about 8:40 p.m. Morgan and John were pronounced dead at a hospital. Marsha and Haley Pitera were in serious condition yesterday. John Eliot, 31, and his wife, Evelyn, 30, of Shelton, were the only people in the van and were taken to a hospital. (AP)

CANDIA, N.H.

A 52-year-old Candia man was picked up on two charges of driving while intoxicated in a little more than an hour late Wednesday and early yesterday, police said. Police arrested Donald Helie at 11:15 p.m. Wednesday for alleged erratic operation on New Boston Road. He was brought to the station, processed, and released to his wife. Helie's wife called police about midnight yesterday, stating her husband had taken another car from their garage. Helie was found about 12:30 a.m. passed out at the wheel near his home, police said.