CONCORD, NH — An early morning chance encounter with a car with New York plates in a Penacook park led to a multi-month investigation on child sexual assault charges against a man from Manchester.

Around 12:45 a.m. on Nov. 25, 2023, an officer patrolling the area of Rolfe Park in Penacook spotted a Nissan with a New York registration near the baseball fields. Since the park was known for criminal activity at that time of the morning and closed at 11 p.m., the officer went to the vehicle to see if anyone was inside. The officer found a couple in the backseat in various stages of undress, attempting to put their clothes on. The man was identified as Francois Niyibigira, 27, of Cedar Street in Manchester, while the female was a 15-year-old girl.

The officer spoke with the girl about how she met the man and what was happening. The girl told the officer she met him on Snapchat, he was fondling her, and she was fondling him, as he requested, an affidavit stated. Niyibigira was accused of admitting he was speaking with the girl via iMessage and showed the officer messages between them dating back to Oct. 7, 2023, the report said. In the detective’s report, they noted a signed consent to search form filled out for Niyibigira’s cellphone.

On Dec. 15, 2023, the girl was interviewed at the Merrimack County Child Advocacy Center, where she spoke about meeting “a boy” online known as “Frenchy,” the detective wrote. Later, the report said they exchanged cellphone numbers and were texting. The girl said she informed Niyibigira she was 15 and they performed different sex acts during three encounters.

The girl said the first encounter, unprotected intercourse in her home, occurred when her parents were out of town in early October 2023 on the Concord Heights, the report said. A second encounter occurred in the parking lot of the Lamplighter Plaza on Loudon Road, an affidavit stated. The third encounter occurred in Penacook at Rolfe Park, the report said.

The detective met with one of the girl’s parents in late December 2023 to determine the exact dates of the first two encounters, the report said. They learned that in early October, the parents were not home. The parent also revealed to the detective their daughter was diagnosed with chlamydia during a recent medical examination in mid-December 2023, the affidavit stated.

A second detective extracted data from Niyibigira’s cellphone and found iMessages between him and the girl, the report stated.

During one message, Niyibigira was accused of suggesting he would bring alcohol to the girl and smoke marijuana. After the girl told him she was taking a shower, he was accused of requesting she “Snap in the shower,” to which she replied, “I didd (sic).” The detective wrote, “Based on this exchange, it is apparent Niyibigira was requesting that (the girl) send him a nude photo during or after her shower.”

The detective wrote the early October 2023 back and forth between the two concerned when he would be arriving at her home.

In mid-October 2023, another message appeared to show Niyibigira’s anger with the girl when she would not meet up with him, the report stated.

“Im (sic) here,” the text message stated in the report. “F— you, dumb b—–, Im (sic) outta here.”

The next day, the girl replied back, “My mom took my phone.”

In early November 2023, Niyibigira attempted to acquire the girl’s new address in Penacook and suggested he stop by when her parents were asleep or that she could sneak out, the report stated.

On Nov. 9, 2023, Niyibigira requested they “link” up because he was “bored,” the detective wrote, adding, “I know through my training and experience that the term ‘link’ is commonly used to refer to an intimate partner or a person you are ‘linked’ with for sexual reasons.” The girl replied he only wanted to “link” when he was bored, the report stated. The girl also “appeared to be very adamant that she did not want to see Francois, but his requests continued for her address to ‘link’ with her,” the affidavit said.

Another message, in late November 2023, described their meeting plans before the officer checked out the vehicle at Rolfe Park, the report stated. Niyibigira was accused of picking the girl up around 12:30 a.m. An audio message from Niyibigira demanded the girl “get on Facetime” so he could find her since “there’s f—— mad cops round here bro (and) I’m not standing in front of someone’s yard. I’m not doing that,” the affidavit stated.

The detective said there were “numerous examples” Niyibigira was aware the girl lived at home, that her mother confiscated her phone, and worked to line up in-person meetings late at night to avoid detection by her parents, the report stated. A photo was also found on the cellphone which appeared to a nude female in a bedroom, which appeared to be the girl, but no breasts or genitalia were visible, the detective stated.

On Jan. 8, a search warrant was requested for Niyibigira’s Snapchat accounts as well as the girl’s. They were connected on both accounts, the detective wrote.

A warrant was issued on Feb. 8 and Niyibigira was arrested on Feb. 15 on certain uses of computer services prohibited, indecent exposure-sex act with a child under 16, and two felonious sexual assault-penetration-victim 13 to 15 charges, all felonies, as well as a sexual assault misdemeanor charge.

According to superior court records and posts online, Niyibigira was accused of felony riot in Durham in September 2016 when he was 20. After six months of court dates, the charge was nolle prossed. He was also arrested on a disorderly conduct charge in September 2016 in Durham, according to Foster’s Daily Democrat.

In February 2021, Niyibigira was accused of conspiracy to commit felony falsifying physical evidence in Manchester. In March 2021, he was charged with two more evidence felonies. He was indicted on the first charge 14 months later while a grand jury indicted him the second set of charges in July and October 2021. After 10 months of hearings, the first charge was nolle prossed. The other two charges were nolle prossed two months later.

New Hampshire State Police also arrested Niyibigira on a reckless operation charge in Londonderry on Jan. 21.

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