N.H. police searching for inmate who escaped from Exeter hospital

New Hampshire authorities are asking for the public’s help locating an incarcerated man they said escaped from Exeter Hospital on Wednesday.

John Pownall, 57, was being held at the hospital under a court order to remain there until he was medically able to return to the Rockingham County Jail, the Rockingham County Sheriff’s office said in a statement. He fled the hospital around 10:40 with Ashley Gustafson, 36, police said. 

Authorities said the pair fled in a white KIA four-door sedan with a New Hampshire license plate. A short time after leaving the hospital, police said, Gustafson helped Pownall remove his ankle bracelet in the parking lot of a CVS in nearby Stratham, New Hampshire. 

Major Christopher Bashaw, of the Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office, said Pownall was arrested on Friday for driving with a suspended license and was then sent to the hospital for medical treatment, according to WHDH. 

Members of the public should not attempt to approach either Pownall or Gustafson, the sheriff’s office said. 

Both Pownall and Gustafson have active arrest warrants, according to WHDH.

“This person does have a lengthy criminal history,” Bashaw said, according to the station. “A lot of it is geared towards substance abuse, as well as driving infractions.”

Anyone with information about Pownall or Gustafson is encouraged to contact police at (603) 679-2225 or reach out to local police.