JAMES LINSCOTT - 3 yo - / Convicted: Mother Jessica Linscott and boyfriend Roland Dow - Plaistow NH

Cops hunting New Hampshire woman accused of dropping 3-year-old
son off at hospital with severe burns, bruises and a head injury

Jessica Linscott and her boyfriend, Roland Dow, have been on the run since the boy was left at Exeter Hospital on Nov. 14.

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Sunday, November 25, 2012, 5:07 PM

CBS Boston
Jessica Linscott and Roland Dow are wanted by New Hampshire police in
connection with abuse of Linscott's 3-year-old son, James.

Cops are hunting for a New Hampshire mother accused of dropping off her 3-year-old at a local hospital with severe burns, bruises and a head injury that left him temporarily blind.

Jessica Linscott has been on the run with her boyfriend, Roland Dow, since she brought her toddler, James, to Exeter Hospital in Exeter, N.H., on Nov. 14, WMTW reported.

The pair were expected to turn themselves into authorities Monday. When they failed to show up, police searched their Plaistow apartment and found no clues regarding their whereabouts.

They are believed to be driving in a car owned by a relative and may have even fled to Maine.

Linscott, 23, initially told police the child’s injuries were self-inflicted.

She now faces six counts of child endangerment, while her boyfriend, 27, has been slapped with two first-degree assault charges.

The 3-year-old is currently recovering from brain surgery at the hospital, with his grandmother, Helen Nicholson, at his side.


CBS Boston
Jessica Linscott's 3-year-old son, James, was admitted to Exeter hospital with
bruises, burns and a head injury that left him temporarily blind.


His body is covered in bruises and second- and third-degree burns.

Nicholson said she warned Linscott that the boy was not safe in the hands of Dow, who is not his father.

Jonathan Nicholson, James’ father, died from a drug overdose just three months after his son was born.

Jonathan’s father, Paul Nicholson, said he had no idea his grandson was being abused.

“James was at my ex-wife’s house last week, and when his mother came to pick him up, he hid. He was saying, ‘I don’t want to go,’” Paul told the Boston Herald.

“It was kind of weird, but we didn’t check him out or take off his clothes and look at his body. Now I wish we did."

Paul said that James is slowly but surely regaining strength.

“His eyesight has come back almost 100 percent, and he’ll get out of the hospital soon,” he added.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/cops-hunt-mother-accused-injuries-left-toddler-temporarily-blind-article-1.1207765

Another POS mother. Another POS boyfriend. Another abused child.

NH child abuse suspects arrested at Universal

Last Updated: Wednesday, November 28, 2012, 10:06 PM


Jessica Linscott and Roland Dow are accused of beating and burning Linscott's son.

ORLANDO -- Two people accused of beating and burning a 3-year-old son was arrested in Orlando Wednesday evening.

Orlando police arrested Jessica Linscott, 23, and Roland Down, 27. The couple had been watching a parade at Universal Studios.

The couple had been on the run two weeks after a New Hampshire hospital called about burns and head injuries to Linscott's 3-year-old boy. Tips led to their arrest.

Linscott is charged with failing to get medical attention for her son, and failing to protect him. Dow is charged with assault.

http://www.cfnews13.com/content/news/cfnews13/news/article.html/content/news/articles/cfn/2012/11/28/nh_child_abuse_suspe.html

Tips led to arrest of NH couple in burned boy case




AP Photo: Orange County, Fla., Corrections Department. IMAGE: Roland Dow, left, and Jessica Linscott, of Plaistow, N.H. 43 min ago By Lynne Tuohy
Authorities say Roland Dow and Jessica Linscott spent two weeks on the run, and were wanted in connection with injuries to Linscott's son, including burns and significant head injuries.






[url=http://www.bing.com/maps/default.aspx?form=MSNNDL&q=Orlando, Florida, United States]ORLANDO, Fla.[/url] — Tips from acquaintances and others helped authorities track a fugitive New Hampshire couple to Florida, where they were arrested at the Universal Studios theme park on charges stemming from the beating and burning of the woman's 3-year-old son, an official said Thursday.

Federal marshals took 23-year-old Jessica Linscott and her boyfriend, 27-year-old Roland Dow, into custody Wednesday evening at the Orlando park. They had been on the run for two weeks, making stops in New York and New Jersey on their way south, U.S. Deputy Marshal Jeffrey White said.

"They didn't resist. They didn't have any weapons," he said. "I don't think they believed anyone would come looking for them in Florida."

They are due to appear in a Florida court Friday morning. If they waive extradition, New Hampshire law enforcement officials will escort them back to the state.

Police say Dow hit James Linscott hard enough in the head on Nov. 12 to cause traumatic brain injury and seizures and also burned his fingers and wrist. It was at least three days before the boy was taken to Exeter Hospital, where officials called police.

Police say Dow and Linscott told them by phone that the boy's injuries were self-inflicted and that they would go to the police station later. They never showed.

Dow is charged with first- and second-degree assault. He and Linscott face multiple charges of child endangerment for failing to protect and get medical attention for James, who remains hospitalized at Children's Hospital at Dartmouth in Lebanon.

A spokeswoman for the state Division of Children, Youth and Families, which has legal custody of the boy, would not comment on his condition Thursday, citing confidentiality laws. She also would not say whether the division had previous contact with the family. The boy's father died of a drug overdose, Dow's grandmother told The Associated Press.

Police say his condition is improving but that his recovery will be long and difficult.

"It's very upsetting to everyone involved," White said. "They were hiding out in a place you'd normally take your kids for enjoyment, to have a good time. Here they are down there, on the run, after harming their child."

White said he is not sure what mode of transportation they were using and that both their cars were accounted for in New Hampshire.

"I think they were smart enough to dump their cellphones," White said, stressing it was tips from acquaintances that led police to them.

"At one point in time they were still in contact with family members," he said.

White said tips led investigators first to Florida, then to the Orlando hotel where the couple was staying, and ultimately to Universal Studios, where they were arrested after watching a parade.

Law enforcement officials spent "countless hours" trying to find Linscott and Dow, who are from Plaistow, N.H., a town of about 8,000 residents in Rockingham County on the Massachusetts state line, marshals said.

The Orange County Jail in Florida, where they are being held in protective custody, said the couple had declined all interview requests.

Dow's grandmother, Helen Fram, who lives next to the couple in a two-family home in Plaistow, said Thursday that she's certain her grandson and Linscott did not hurt James. She said the boy sometimes banged his own head on the bathtub or threw himself off the toilet.

"I can hear anything if anything is going on," she said. "They would never, ever hurt a baby. Never."

She said they initially went to the hospital with James but got scared when they found out police wanted to talk to them.

"They figured they didn't do anything, so they took off," she said.

Fram described her grandson as a loner and said he sometimes did siding or roofing work, though he is unemployed right now. She said she did not hear from him while he was on the run.

Asked why they would have gone to a theme park, she said that was one thing she did not understand.

In the small downtown of Plaistow, Joe's Barber Shop owner Dan Diemand said every third or fourth customer for the past week has wanted to talk about the case, wondering if Dow and Linscott had been caught. A lot were angry.

"Especially parents, I think they take it very personally when a child is hurt," he said.

http://news.msn.com/us/tips-led-to-arrest-of-nh-couple-in-burned-boy-case

Couple nabbed at Universal Orlando due in court

Fugitive couple could waive extradition

Published On: Nov 30 2012 06:13:25 AM EST
Updated On: Nov 30 2012 07:27:24 AM EST

ORLANDO, Fla. - New Hampshire authorities will know soon whether a fugitive couple charged in connection with beating and burning the woman's 3-year-old son will waive extradition and voluntarily return the state.

Federal marshals took 23-year-old Jessica Linscott and her boyfriend, 27-year-old Roland Dow, into custody Wednesday evening while the duo was watching a parade at Universal Orlando. They had been on the run for two weeks.

Florida officials say a routine court proceeding involving paperwork will take place Friday morning and that the two are not expected to appear for it.

Dow is charged with assault in the case. He and Linscott face multiple charges of child endangerment for failing to protect and get medical attention for Linscott's son, James, who remains hospitalized.

Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.

http://www.clickorlando.com/news/Couple-nabbed-at-Universal-Orlando-due-in-court/-/1637132/17603486/-/q768p8z/-/index.html

Family of abused boy speaks out about Plaistow couple

Reported by: Victoria Block | Follow Victoria on Twitter
Posted: Yesterday at 5:55 pm Updated: Yesterday at 6:08 pm

PLAISTOW, N.H. (WHDH) -- The Plaistow, N.H. couple wanted for child abuse was arrested in Orlando on Wednesday and will appear in a Florida courtroom Friday morning facing a fugitive from justice charge.

Jessica Linscott and her boyfriend Roland Dow were arrested based on a tip that allowed investigators to focus on a specific area in Orlando.

“With boots on the ground, they went to numerous hotels, they went to numerous locations showing pictures, asking questions and they developed additional leads that led them to Universal Studios,” said David Cargill, U.S. Marshal, New Hampshire.

The couple took off more than two weeks ago after leaving her 3-year-old son at Exeter Hospital severely beaten and burned. Family members are relieved the pair is now in custody.

"I’m glad it's over with, get them back here, punish them and give them what they deserve," said Linscott’s uncle, Ed Linscott, who said the couple deserves the same treatment they gave the little boy.

Linscott’s son, James, is recovering from severe injuries to his head and burns all over his body. Even the chief of the New Hampshire Police Department was unable to hold back tears when addressing the situation in a press conference Thursday.

“I want like to privately extend a personal thought to James. He's the only hero here,” said Chief Stephen Savage.

Investigators said they followed hundreds of leads from the public. They won’t say who led them to the couple but have a suspicion they had help on the run.

“If I have evidence that anybody else violated that statutes on hindering the prosecution they will be prosecuted," said attorney, James Reams of Rockingham County, New Hampshire.

Until then, the couple remains in custody and Linscott's uncle is relieved, but angry.

“Leave me alone with him for awhile, the boyfriend. And try to do to me what you did to him,” said Ed Linscott.

Because of the notoriety of this case, Linscott and Dow are being held in protective custody. The state is requesting they be held without bail.

Read more: http://www1.whdh.com/news/articles/local/north/12009192648968/family-of-linscott-speaks-out-on-child-abuse-case/#ixzz2Din6hqtd

3-Year-Old Burned Boy Released From NH Hospital

LEBANON, N.H. December 5, 2012 (AP)

Police say the 3-year-old boy at the center of a New Hampshire child endangerment case has been released from the hospital.

His mother, Jessica Linscott, and her boyfriend, Roland Dow, were arrested last week at a Florida theme park and arraigned in New Hampshire on Monday.


WMUR-TV reports (http://bit.ly/35g7Id) James Linscott of Plaistow has been released from Children's Hospital at Dartmouth in Lebanon, where he had been hospitalized for several weeks for brain injuries, bruises and burns to his wrist and fingers.

Dow is charged with first- and second-degree assault. He and Linscott face multiple charges of child endangerment. The boy is in state custody.

Both have been ordered not to have contact with each other or with James. The couple had said his injuries were self-inflicted; doctors disagreed.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/year-burned-boy-released-nh-hospital-17883251

I'm glad the boy lived and is out of the hospital. My heart cries for him. William

Details emerge about child's beating at NH couple's arraignments

Posted: Dec 03, 2012 4:58 AM CST
Updated: Dec 03, 2012 4:56 PM CST

PLAISTOW, N.H. (FOX 25 / MyFoxBoston.com) — A fugitive couple arrested at a Florida theme park has been arraigned in New Hampshire on charges in the beating and burning of the woman's 3-year-old son.

>>Fugitive couple returned to NH to face charges in child abuse case

Separate video arraignments were held Monday morning for the two in Plaistow District Court.

The boy's mother, 23-year-old Jessica Linscott, answered to six misdemeanor charges of endangering a child by failing to protect him.

Authorities said Linscott didn't protect her son from 27-year-old Roland Dow.

Dow is accused of beating the boy. Investigators said the child had bruises all over his body, upper forehead, cheek, right arm, buttocks, leg and foot. He also suffered a traumatic brain injury that left him temporarily blind.

Authorities said Linscott and Dow were aware of their arrest warrants as they traveled from Haverhill to Boston before taking a bus to New York City. From New York the couple took a train to Florida where they were eventually arrested at Universal Studios. Investigators said they never made an attempt to check the welfare of the child.

Dow will face five misdemeanor and two felony assault charges in connection with the case. His bail was set at $500,000.

Linscott was ordered held on $100,000 bail.

Both have been ordered not to have contact with each other or with the child.

Read more: http://www.myfoxboston.com/story/20242918/2012/12/03/plaistow-couple-accused-of-child-abuse-in-court-today#ixzz2ED5VFXK6

Man Who Inflicted 'Reign Of Terror' On Girlfriend's 3-Year-Old Sentenced


 

Posted:  08/14/2014 12:46 pm EDT    Updated:  08/14/2014 12:59 pm EDT




BRENTWOOD, N.H. (AP) -- A man accused of inflicting a "reign of terror" on his girlfriend's 3-year-old son before fleeing to a Florida amusement park was sentenced Thursday to up to 67 years in prison on assault and other charges.

Roland Dow, 28, of Plaistow, was convicted in June of assaulting James Nicholson, failing to get him medical help, coaching him to lie to a social worker and secretly recording the social worker's visit. He and the boy's mother, Jessica Linscott, were arrested at the Universal Orlando Resort in November 2012, two weeks after leaving the toddler at a hospital with a brain injury, head-to-toe bruises and burns on his arm and hand.

Linscott pleaded guilty to child endangerment and witness tampering and is serving 2 1/2 to 7 years in prison. Dow, who was convicted of 11 charges and acquitted of burning the boy, was sentenced to 25 1/2 to 67 years in Rockingham County Superior Court, where Judge Marguerite Wageling called his behavior deliberate, depraved and sadistic. Saying James was "dragged into hell," the judge contrasted Dow's treatment of James with testimony that he was "the most darling of fathers" to his own young daughter.

"James was treated like a caged animal, and putting that up against the apparent wonderful behavior he knew how to provide to a child makes it even more sick," Wageling said. "He then flew out of the area and engaged in happy-go-lucky entertainment while James lay in a hospital bed having holes drilled in his skull to relieve the pressure of the injuries he sustained."

In arguing for a sentence of five to 10 years, attorney Thomas Gleason said his client is "sorry James was injured and hurt" but added that many questions remain about who caused the injuries and whether jurors considered him an accomplice to Linscott or the main perpetrator.

Gleason also painted Linscott as a longtime liar who blamed her ex-boyfriend for crimes she could have committed herself.

Prosecutors countered that being an awful mother doesn't mean Linscott was lying. Assistant County Attorney Patricia Conway said Dow beat the boy, tied him to a bed and subjected him to "torture sessions" in the bathroom.

"For whatever reason, God only knows, this man hated James. He hated him, and he began his reign of terror against this 3-year-old little toddler," Conway said.

Although Linscott admitted spanking her son and participating in other harsh punishments, she also testified that Dow abused her and treated her son "worse than a dog you don't want." Jurors viewed photos of James' injuries and videos showing the child whimpering in pain and crashing to the floor while Dow was heard yelling: "Get up!" and "Stop having a fit!"

"You could hear the hate and the disdain this man had for this child, it was palpable, you could almost taste it," Conway said. "James didn't just watch those videos; he lived through it."

James, now 5, lives with his grandmother and is "doing great" physically, Conway said. The boy's great-grandmother Germaine Mullen said he still has a shunt in his head, but his intelligence was not affected. She said James visits his mother in prison but remains terrified of Dow and has asked: "Why did Roland hurt me all the time?"

She said she has assured James that Dow is in prison.

"The look of relief that came over that child's face? It was almost like when someone wins the lottery," she said.

Dow, who didn't testify at his trial, didn't speak at the sentencing either. His attorney and mother declined to comment afterward.


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/14/3-year-old-beat-sentenced_n_5678925.html