New Hampshire Fugitive of the Week Arrested by U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force

Concord, NH – This morning, "Fugitive of the Week," James "Sonny" Morse, 45 years-of-age, was arrested at a Medford, Mass. Hotel. Morse was considered to be an armed & dangerous fugitive with violent tendencies who was being sought on multiple outstanding arrest warrants issued out of the State of Maine including; aggravated assault (X3) and bail violations.

Morse had been featured as New Hampshire's "Fugitive of the Week" on June 16, 2020. This feature was aired on WTPL-FM, WMUR-TV, The Union Leader, The Nashua Telegraph, The Patch, Foster’s Daily Democrat, Manchester Information, the Manchester Ink Link, the Rochester Voice and prominently featured on the internet. The "Fugitive of the Week" continues to be a very successful tool that has resulted in the location and arrest of numerous fugitives since its implementation in 2007. Additionally, the "Fugitive of the Week" is distributed statewide to all New Hampshire law enforcement officers.

At the time that Morse was featured as the "Fugitive of the Week," he believed to be in the central New Hampshire area, After being featured, Morse fled the State of New Hampshire and went to Massachusetts in an effort to continue to avoid arrest. This morning someone found the James "Sonny" Morse wanted poster online and called the Massachusetts State Police, who are part of the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force in Mass. The anonymous caller indicated that Morse could be found on the 7th floor of a hotel located on Riverside Avenue in Medford, MA. Members of the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force responded to the hotel and were able to take Mr. Morse into custody with minimal incident, as he initially denied his identity to investigators.

Morse will be charged in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as a fugitive from justice based on the arrest warrants issued out of the State of Maine. Morse will likely be held without bail at the Middlesex County Jail pending his return to the State of Maine on these serious charges.

Since the inception of the New Hampshire Joint Fugitive Task Force in 2002, these partnerships have resulted in over 7,908 arrests (Updated as of 12/16/2019). These arrests have ranged in seriousness from murder, assault, unregistered sex offenders, probation and parole violations and numerous other serious offenses. Nationally the United States Marshals Service fugitive programs are carried out with local law enforcement in 94 district offices, 85 local fugitive task forces, 8 regional task forces, as well as a growing network of offices in foreign countries.