Beaten N.H. boy, 3, out of hospital; mom, boyfriend face indictment

The case of severely injured New Hampshire boy James Nicholson is sad and sordid, and it has left authorities in the community tight-lipped.

The 3-year-old -- allegedly beaten by his mother’s boyfriend -- is reportedly out of the hospital, where he underwent brain surgery for a head injury that caused seizures. Roland Dow, 27, is charged with first- and second-degree assault, according to Associated Press.

Both Dow and James’ mother, Jessica Linscott, face multiple charges of child endangerment.

“The case is still under investigation,” said a representative at the Rockingham County attorney’s office, where the attorney declined to speak to the Los Angeles Times on Wednesday morning. Linscott and Dow “have been arraigned ... and the case is under investigation until their indictment.”

A representative at the hospital where James reportedly was cared for said Wednesday the boy’s name was “not on the list of patients for whom I’m authorized to release information.”

The Plaistow, N.H., police referred calls on the case to the county attorney’s office, but the police department’s website trumpeted the Nov. 28 capture of the formerly fugitive pair: “CAUGHT!!!”

James was beaten and burned, authorities said -- allegedly struck in the head and singed on the wrist and fingers by Dow. On Nov. 14, Linscott, 23, took the boy to a hospital, where she told workers that her son had caused his own injuries. The couple even provided a video that they said showed James hurting himself.

Hospital staff looked at the video and said it didn’t hold water, according to New Hampshire’s Union Leader.

The couple left the boy at the hospital and fled the state, traveling by bus and train and eventually winding up in Florida. After a two-week manhunt, they were arrested Nov. 28 at Universal Studios Florida.

On Monday, Linscott and Dow were arraigned separately and were unable to make bail, which was set at $100,000 for Linscott and $500,000 for Dow. Both appeared worn, with dark circles under their eyes. James’ whereabouts were not being made public Wednesday, but he was in the care of state child protective services.

Michael Zaino, assistant county attorney for Rockingham County, said at Linscott’s arraignment that James had suffered “multiple beatings,” had “bruises all over his body, dangerous swelling of the brain. ... Clearly, he has been put in harm’s way.”

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