By Dave Rogers
Staff writer
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NASHUA, N.H. — A Georgetown man's bail was reduced yesterday at his arraignment in Nashua District Court after being charged with kidnapping a 13-year-old girl and assaulting a police officer.
Justin Rossi, 18, of Georgetown, was arrested Sunday in Hudson, N.H., after police there received word from Pepperell, Mass., police that Rossi was seen with a 13-year-old girl.
Hudson police Capt. Bill Avery said Rossi and the juvenile were spotted by police on Lowell Road in the area of Birch Street, a residential area of town containing some restaurants. When police tried to arrest Rossi, he punched an officer in the face. Rossi wasn't handcuffed at the time, and the officer wasn't injured, Avery added.
Rossi was also charged with resisting arrest and violating a protection order.
When asked if Rossi knew the victim, Avery said: "Let's just say they were acquaintances."
Hudson police received word from Pepperell police a day earlier that they had issued a missing child report believing the juvenile was with Rossi. A day later, around 9:05 a.m., Hudson police received a call from someone who believed to have seen them walking together on Lowell Road.
The responding officer was attempting to place the girl in protective custody when Rossi struck him, according to Hudson police.
Avery said Hudson police deal with many missing teenaged or adolescent children calls since the community is near two larger areas, Nashua, N.H., and Lowell.
"Oftentimes, we're called to be on the alert for a runaway kid or someone who's missing," Avery said.
Bail was set at $7,500, a reduction from the $10,000 bail set upon his arrest.
