Kidnapping, sex assault suspect captured in Pa. Arrest made following car chases, crash near Philadelphia

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A man suspected of abducting a woman and child in New Hampshire and then sexually assaulting the woman at a Vermont hotel has been taken into custody following a car chase Sunday evening outside Philadelphia.

Everett Simpson, 41, faces extradition to Vermont following his arrest by the Upper Darby Township (Pennsylvania) Police Department. He is expected to face federal charges in the District of Vermont related to car theft, kidnapping and sexual assault.

The arrest of Simpson followed a manhunt and investigation that included the FBI, the Vermont State Police, the Hartford,Vt.,  and the Manchester, N.H.  police departments.

The initial incident began at about 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 5,  outside the Mall of New Hampshire in Manchester, when a man later identified as Simpson forced a woman and her child into the woman’s car, a silver 2014 Kia Forte sedan with New Hampshire plates, and drove to Vermont.

At White River Junction, police say Simpson forced the woman to rent a room at a local hotel, where he proceeded to sexually assault her. According to a VSP press release, the victim did not know the assailant and was targeted at random. When Simpson left the hotel room, the victim and her child were able to reach safety and contact the police.

Sunday afternoon, police from the Prospect Park (Pa.) Police Department were on an unrelated traffic stop when an automated license-place recognition system identified the stolen Kia from New Hampshire.

The vehicle failed to stop for police and a car chase resulted. The stolen Kia was found in the parking lot of a nearby apartment complex. About an hour later, another vehicle – a red Pontiac Vibe – was reported stolen in the area. Upper Darby Township police located that car,  resulting in another pursuit that ended when the driver crashed the Vibe into a telephone pole.

The operator was taken into custody and identified as Simpson. He was being evaluated at a hospital Sunday night in Pennsylvania.