Franklin man accused of assaulting children ordered held without bail
Investigators say 3 more children come forward with allegations
Investigators say 3 more children come forward with allegations
Investigators say 3 more children come forward with allegations
A Franklin man accused of threatening and assaulting multiple children is being held without bail.
Andrew Trudell, 38, is being held without bail after new allegations were made by three children he knows about abuse claims dating back to 2019.
According to court paperwork, Trudell is charged with five accounts of second-degree assault, two counts of felonious sexual assault and two counts of criminal threatening with a deadly weapon.
Prosecutors said one child said she was told she was assaulting because "she was a bad kid." Another child described having knives held to his throat, prosecutors said.
Trudell was taken into custody in April 2021 on similar charges involving another child. After a letter was sent Aug. 15 to a detective alleging more abuse from Trudell, three other children disclosed other alleged abuse during interviews, and Trudell was arrested the next day.
"Based on the crimes, I think he should be held," said Concord deputy police Chief John Thomas.
Thomas praised his department for the work they have done because cases with children can be tough.
"Any case that involves children or a sexual assault-type incident, those are very difficult cases to investigate," Thomas said.
He also gave a lot of credit to the Merrimack County Child Advocacy Center for its help by bringing in a forensic interviewer to do in-depth interviews with the children.
An evidentiary hearing is scheduled for Thursday afternoon.