By Joseph Edgerton
Staff Writer

A recent routine enforcement patrol by two Pembroke police officers interrupted an alleged sexual assault involving a small child.

On Sunday, Jan. 8, at 2:15 p.m., Lt. Scott Lane and Chief Wayne Cheney were patrolling Sixth Range Road on all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) when they discovered a 1988 Jeep Cherokee parked on the side of the road. A police report said the vehicle was located two-tenths of a mile from Buck Street.

“On further investigation, we discovered an adult male, partially clothed, in the back seat of the vehicle,” said Lane. “There was a naked 3-year-old female child on the back seat near him.”

Police identified the man as Thomas Rowell Jr., 25, of Manchester.

Lane was unable to say whether the girl is related to Rowell.

Rowell was arrested and has been charged with one count of endangering the welfare of a child and attempted felonious assault.

The first charge is a Class A misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail, and the second is a Class B felony punishable by up to seven years in prison.

"In our report, we're alleging that Rowell took a person under 13 to an isolated area, took her clothes off and lay on her for the purposes of sexual contact," said Lane.

Pembroke routinely patrols with ATVs, but Lane said during the winter months patrols are less frequent. A typical patrol might last for six hours and cover 40 miles.

Most of the patrols typically result in the issue of safety citations and rarely in arrests, but there have been exceptions.

"(To patrol) during this time of the year is pretty unique, and I think it's great that we were in the area when we were," he said. "We try to get out a couple of times a month until April, and from then on we go out once a week."

Lane described Sixth Range Road as an isolated area of town not known as a high-crime area.

"It's on the outskirts of town, the area was just about as far as you can go and still see Buck Street," he said. "It's an unplowed road and it isn't maintained by the town."

Rowell was held overnight at the Merrimack County Superior Court on $2,000 cash bail, and was arraigned at the Hooksett District Court on Jan. 9.

He pleaded innocent to the misdemeanor charge and did not enter a plea on the felony charge.

He was held on $7,000 cash bail. A probable cause hearing for the felony charge is to take place at a later date.

In July, Lane trained police officers from Pembroke, Allenstown and Bow on ATV use.

He said he is thankful that Pembroke has ATVs and is able to patrol, and that the vehicles greatly increase the mobility and patrol area.

"I really have to say kudos to the program for making all of this possible," he said. "It's really fantastic. We were in the right place at the right time."