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Man arrested after car chases in PA, kidnapping in NH, sexual assault in VT

A suspect wanted for numerous crimes, including kidnapping and sexual assault in New Hampshire and Vermont, is in police custody after a police chase in Pennsylvania, police say.

Vermont State Police said the suspect, 41-year-old Everett Simpson who most recently lived in St. Johnsbury, Vermont, allegedly forced a woman and her child into his car at the Mall of New Hampshire, and then drove to Vermont.

When he reached White River Junction, Simpson allegedly forced the woman to rent a room at a local hotel, where he proceeded to sexually assault her.

Police said the victim was a stranger targeted at random.

When Simpson left the hotel room, the woman and her child escaped and contacted police.

Police say an investigation showed Simpson stole a car and escaped from a substance-abuse rehab facility in eastern Vermont three days before the abduction.

He was arrested Sunday evening in Pennsylvania following a police chase, when Prospect Park Police on an unrelated traffic stop had an automated license-plate recognition system identify the stolen car from New Hampshire, according to Vermont State Police.

Simpson didn't stop for law enforcement and a car chase then began, ending when the Kia was found abandoned in the parking lot of a nearby apartment complex.

As police searched for the suspect in the area, another vehicle was reported stolen from the area about an hour later. Police found that car, and another chase began, ending when the stolen car crashed into a telephone pole.

Simpson was taken into custody, and was being evaluated at a hospital Sunday night in Pennsylvania.

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Simpson has had multiple run-ins with the law, including a September vehicle theft, high-speed chase and aggravated assault on a Vermont State Police trooper.