3 arrested after highway pursuit ends in Newburyport
May 4—NEWBURYPORT — Two men and a woman were arrested about 3:45 p.m. Tuesday after a highway chase that began in Amesbury ended on Route 113 in Newburyport.
Amesbury police Chief Craig Bailey said the three people drove a pickup truck into a Merrill Street driveway and stole a trailer. Amesbury police received word of the theft and began chasing the truck and trailer.
During the pursuit, which briefly continued through a section of Salisbury, the trailer became unhitched. Police followed the pickup onto Interstate 95 south until it took the Route 113 exit in Newburyport.
A panhandler standing only a few yards away said the truck, with a temporary New Hampshire license plate, came flying up the off-ramp and drove over a section of grass before taking a sharp left onto Route 113 heading east.
The truck broke down a few yards later and the three people were placed into custody. During a search of the car, police found a large quantity of fentanyl and other controlled drugs, Bailey said.
The driver, Johnell Henry Parker Jr. of Goffstown, New Hampshire, and the passengers, Ashley Ricker of Raymond, New Hampshire, and Charles Parker of Nashua, New Hampshire, are expected to be arraigned Wednesday in Newburyport District Court. They will likely face drug, theft and motor vehicle-related offenses.
No one was hurt during the chase or arrests. Assisting Amesbury police were Newburyport, Salisbury and State Police officers.
About the same time but on the west side of Route 113, two cars were involved in a rear-end crash. A Newburyport police officer said the crash was unrelated to the three arrests. Route 113 remained open in both directions while police and firefighters responded.
Dave Rogers is a reporter with the Daily News of Newburyport. Email him at: drogers@newburyportnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @drogers41008.
Dave Rogers is a reporter with the Daily News of Newburyport. Email him at: drogers@newburyportnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @drogers41008.
