Manchester Police say a man accused of numerous crimes, including kidnapping and sexual assault, has been arrested in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania.
According to Vermont State Police, police from the Prospect Park Police Department in Pennsylvania were on an unrelated traffic stop Sunday afternoon when an automated license-plate recognition system identified a stolen Kia from New Hampshire.
The car failed to stop for law enforcement, and a car chase ensued, police said.
The Kia was found abandoned in the parking lot of a nearby apartment complex. Police established a perimeter and were searching for the suspect, when, about an hour later, a red Pontiac Vibe was reported stolen from the area.
Upper Darby Township police located the car, and another pursuit began. It ended when the Vibe crashed into a telephone pole, police said.
The operator was taken into custody and identified as Everett Simpson, 41, of St. Johnsbury, Vermont.
He is being evaluated at a local hospital, police said.
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Simpson is expected to face federal charges in the District of Vermont related to car theft, kidnapping and sexual assault. He is also facing extradition to Vermont following his arrest in Upper Darby.
The prosecution is being coordinated by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Burlington.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Vermont State Police and the Hartford Police Department announced Sunday they were searching for Simpson, calling him a dangerous man who was wanted for numerous crimes, including kidnapping and sexual assault.
Simpson was last known to be driving a stolen 2014 silver Kia Forte sedan with New Hampshire license plate 396-7479.
According to police, Simpson forced a woman and her child into their car, which was parked outside of the Mall of New Hampshire in Manchester, and drove to Vermont.
Simpson then forced the woman to rent a room at a hotel in White River Junction, where he proceeded to sexually assault the victim. The victim is a stranger who was targeted at random, police said.
When Simpson left the hotel room, the victim and her child were able to reach safety and contact police.
A police investigation led them to believe that Simpson had stolen a car and escaped from a substance-abuse rehabilitation facility in eastern Vermont three days earlier.
Simpson has had previous interactions with police, including a September vehicle theft, high-speed pursuit and aggravated assault on a Vermont State Police trooper in Lyndonville, police said.
According to Manchester police, the FBI is leading the investigation.
