A Dartmouth graduate student was allegedly assaulted by a former College custodian armed with a knife as she walked down South Main Street early in the morning on Wednesday, June 10.
The alleged attacker, White River Junction resident Thurman Moore, is being held in Grafton County jail at $350,000 bail and is facing charges of a Class A Felony. If convicted, he could be sentenced to between seven and 15 years in prison.
According to Hanover Police Chief Nick Giaccone, Moore attempted to drag the Master of Arts and Liberal Studies graduate student into the woods as she walked home, halfway down the hill from the central business district in Hanover.
Neighbors heard the woman's screams and alerted the police. Moore then fled into the woods on the west side of the road between Ripley and Huntley Roads, according to a police news release. An hour later, a Hanover police officer found Moore hiding in the woods off Ripley Road, according to the Valley News.
Safety and Security assisted in the effort to find Moore, as did Lebanon Police, New Hampshire State Police and Norwich police, the release said.
The woman was treated at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center for several laceration and puncture wounds on her right cheek, under her chin and the top of her left hand. She was later released, Giaccone said.
The victim did not know Moore, according to the Valley News, and the incident seemed to be a random act.
"At this point, we're investigating the motive and looking at all aspects of it," Giaccone told the Valley News.
Moore has an extensive criminal record, including convictions for forgery in North Carolina and burglary in New York, the Valley News reported.
Two of Moore's female acquaintances in New Hampshire and Vermont have taken out restraining orders against him, Grafton County Assistant Attorney George Waldron said.
According to the Valley News, Moore's attorney, William Clauson, said Moore suffers from post-traumatic stress syndrome stemming from his experiences during the Vietnam War.
Clauson said Moore also suffered from "significant problems" as a result of other employees' actions, according to the Valley News.
Moore first met Clauson the day before the attack, when Moore approached Clauson about representing him in a potential civil litigation against the College, the Valley News said.
Clauson said Moore was seeing a psychiatrist and a counselor at the Veterans' Affairs hospital in White River Junction and was scheduled to begin a three-week residential program there.
Moore worked as a custodian at the College from October 1997 until last month, at which point he resigned from his position, Director of Human Resources Roger Brock said.
The College does not conduct criminal background checks on potential employees, with the exception of applicants for Safety and Security positions, Brock told the Valley News.
Moore never lived in a residence hall as a Facilities, Operations and Management dorm custodian, according to Brock.
