Pair From Mass. Held After Merrimack Pepper Spray Theft Incident

MERRIMACK, NH — Merrimack police arrested two women from Massachusetts on Saturday who police said resisted arrest with one spraying pepper spray at the officers.

Merrimack police responded to the Merrimack Premium Outlets for a report of a theft in progress at the Polo Outlet at about 3:45 p.m. They provided a description, photos, and directions for the suspects' travel. After a brief search, officers located the suspects inside the American Eagle Outlet. The suspects were observed having merchandise stolen from both the involved stores, police said.

Officers attempted to contact the suspects, one of whom immediately began emptying her shopping bags to conceal the stolen merchandise, according to a report.

Officers attempted to detain the two suspects when both suspects began to resist the officers.

One suspect, later identified as Maryah Williams, 23, of Boston, MA, was accused of kicking an officer in the stomach. While he attempted to place her in handcuffs, the suspect was able to draw a canister of pepper spray and discharged the spray into the officer’s eyes and the air in the store, affecting the other officers and other customers in the store, a report stated.

The other suspect, Lasonia Watler, 18, of Brockton, MA, also resisted officers and attempted to draw her own pepper spray but was stopped before discharging it.

Both females were eventually taken into custody but continued resisting and yelling obscene and racially insensitive insults in a public setting, disrupting other shoppers, police said. Williams and Watler were transported to Merrimack PD, where they were processed and held in preventative detention.

Williams was charged with the felony offenses of receiving stolen property, attempted second-degree assault, and falsifying physical evidence, and the misdemeanor charges of simple assault on a police officer x2, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, and possession of theft detection device removal tools.

Watler was charged with the felony offense of receiving stolen property and misdemeanor offenses of resisting arrest or detention, attempted simple assault on a police officer, disorderly conduct, and possession of theft detection device removal tools.

Both involved officers were evaluated and treated by Merrimack Fire and EMS. All other patrons of the store who were exposed to the pepper spray were offered and refused any medical treatment.

The suspects were transported to the Hillsborough County House of Corrections and were then moved to the Rockingham County House of Corrections, where they are being held in preventative detention.

Williams and Watler appeared in Merrimack 9th Circuit Court on Monday. After prosecutors presented information on the incident, the judge hearing the case ordered them to remain in custody on preventative detention.