Man accused of ramming city police cruiser hit with multiple felonies

Travis J. Moseley (Police mugshot)

ROCHESTER - A Portsmouth man accused of ramming a pair of police cruisers in Rochester on Tuesday and then leading police on a chase in Maine was arraigned Wednesday in Strafford Superior Court on the Rochester charges.
Travis J. Moseley, 23, of Portsmouth, was served his Rochester arrest warrant on Monday at Rockingham County Jail, Rochester Police Pubic Information Officer Andrew Swanberry said in a statement sent The Voice on Wednesday evening.
Moseley was charged with felony reckless conduct, felony criminal mischief, and three misdemeanors, including disobeying an officer, reckless operation and conduct after an accident. At the time of the incident his license was under suspension.
Moseley refused bail and is currently being held at Rockingham County Jail.
Police got involved in Tuesday's incident around 12:20 p.m. when New Hampshire State Police Troop A was made aware of a certain vehicle that was parked within a public parking lot in Rochester. The vehicle was known to several Seacoast law enforcement agencies, due to multiple recent contacts.
Last Thursday the vehicle was involved in a multi-town pursuit after the driver intentionally damaged several Newmarket Police cars. On that occasion, New Hampshire State Troopers were able to locate the vehicle, although the operator failed to stop and continued driving in a reckless manner. Due to dangerousness, that pursuit was terminated, State Police say. Even without being chased, however, the operator traveled northerly in the southbound lanes of travel while crossing the Interstate 95 Piscataqua River Bridge from New Hampshire into Maine.
Based upon those events, and ensuing investigation, the suspect vehicle was identified as a silver, 2018 Ford Escape. The operator was also identified as Moseley. Warrants for Moseley's arrest included charges of Reckless Conduct (B Felony). It was also learned that Moseley did not have a driver's license.
Then on Tuesday Rochester Police were made aware of open warrants on Moseley, stemming from felony and misdemeanor crimes in Newmarket, Soon after Rochester Police received information that Moseley and his vehicle were in the parking lot of the Spaulding Commons (Planet Fitness) at 306 North Main St.
Around 12:15 p.m. Rochester Officer Dwayne Hatch and his K9 partner, Ripley, located the vehicle in the parking lot backed into a parking space with a tree directly behind it. At that point Hatch positioned his cruiser in front of Moseley's vehicle to block it in, prompting Moseley to make several multi-point turns in an effort to get around Hatch's cruiser, according to a statement from Rochester Police.
Around this time, a NHSP Trooper arrived to assist, but Moseley wasn't done. He pulled forward out of the parking space, striking both Hatch's and the Trooper's cruisers. Hatch and the Trooper had both exited their cruisers before the collision happened and were not injured. The crash was at a low speed and there was property damage yet no injuries to either law enforcement officers or K9 Ripley, who was inside the RPD cruiser during the collision.
Moseley then drove his vehicle onto the Spaulding Turnpike southbound where officers lost sight of him. RPD officers searched the area and located Moseley in his vehicle in the parking lot of Cumberland Farms on Knight Street.
Moseley sped away again, traveling south on South Main Street and then Rochester Hill Road at a high rate of speed. Officers followed in Moseley's direction, but did not catch up to him before he exited the city into Somersworth.
Moseley continued south before crossing into Maine and getting on Route 1 North where he was spotted in Wells. According to a statement from Maine State Police, Moseley then turned around and led the Troopers on a vehicle pursuit southbound that later entered the Maine Turnpike. Once on the Turnpike Troopers were able to deploy a tire deflating device in York that assisted in stopping the vehicle.
Moseley was taken into custody without further incident.
No injuries or damage to public property was incurred as a result of these events, police say. Several aspects of this investigation remain active and anyone with pertinent information is asked to contact Trooper Matthew Bailey at Matthew.S.Bailey@dos.nh.gov.