Man Accused of Raping Woman Multiple Times in Woods

Ryan Howe, no fixed address, was arrested Oct. 14 by Nashua Police on a warrant charging him with four counts of rape; a number of assault and criminal threatening charges.

The arrest stemmed from a report that Howe had repeatedly sexually assaulted a woman in the woods off North Second Street.

An investigation by Nashua Police Department's Youth Services Division resulted in multiple charges against Howe, including: four aggravated felonious sexual assault, class A felonies; second degree assault and criminal restraint, class B felonies; four counts simple assault, class A misdemeanors; sexual assault,  a class A misdemeanor; and criminal threatening, a class A misdemeanor.

According to a Nashua Telegraph report of the Oct. 23 probable cause hearing Nashua Police Detective Marc Anderson provided testimony on evidence gathered by investigators, which included: 

• a witness told police he and a neighbor had followed a man and woman into the woods dragging a mattress to ask them to leave when they heard a woman scream, “I’ve been raped for hours.” 

• A neighbor reported hearing a woman's screams between 5 and 6 p.m. but couldn’t tell where the sounds were coming from. When she heard another scream around 7 p.m., she called police and then found that a woman was with other neighbors outside, trembling and crying.

Other police testimony included an account of  Howe allegedly knocking the woman down multiple times, retraining and choking her and raping her as the woman alternately tried to fight Howe off, run and reason with him.

Each class A felony is punishable by to 10-20 years in State Prison not including fines. Each class B felony is punishable by up to 7 years in state prison not including fines. each class A misdemeanor is punishable by up to a year in the County House of Corrections, exclusive of fines. 

You can read more at nashuatelegraph.com