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Pair finally to appear in New Hampshire court

Caught in Florida, they face charges of abusing boy, 3

The New Hampshire couple arrested Wednesday night in Florida after nearly two weeks on the lam will be arraigned Monday morning on charges stemming from the alleged abuse of a 3-year-old child, officials said on Sunday.

Roland Dow, 27, and Jessica Linscott, 23, are scheduled to be arraigned in Plaistow District Court at 10:30 a.m. in connection with the suspected abuse of Linscott's son, James Nicholson, authorities said.

Laura Kiernan, a spokeswoman for the New Hampshire Judicial Branch, said the couple will not be inside the courtroom but will appear via video conference.

"It's very common in our courts to do video arraignments," Kiernan said, adding that video proceedings save money on prisoner transportation costs.

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Dow and Linscott are being held at the Rockingham County jail.

Dow is charged with first-degree and second-degree assault. He is accused of beating Nicholson so severely that the child suffered a traumatic brain injury. The boy also had burns on his hands and fingers.

Both Dow and Linscott are facing several counts of child endangerment for failing to seek medical attention for the child.

Dow and Linscott were apprehended on Wednesday night at Universal Studios theme park in Orlando after a massive manhunt. Authorities said Thursday that the couple also made stops in New York and Atlantic City during their time as fugitives.

Rockingham County Attorney Jim Reams said on Sunday that it was too early to say if the couple could face additional charges in connection with their time on the run.

"I have to finish the evidence review," Reams said.

The Globe reported on Thursday that James Nicholson was being treated for his injuries at Children's Hospital at Dartmouth. Officials have said the boy is expected to have a long and difficult recovery.

A spokesman for the hospital said on Sunday that the boy's name did not appear on a list of patients whom Children's is authorized to release information about.

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Relatives of Dow, Linscott, and the boy could not be reached for comment.


Material from the Associated Press was used in this report. Travis Andersen can be reached at tandersen@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @TAGlobe.