Franklin arrests yield unusual mugshots
Union Leader Correspondent
August 25. 2017 3:36PM
Melissa Natal draped in toliet paper. (Courtesy Photo/Franklin Police)
Juan Flores (Courtesy Photo/Franklin Police)
FRANKLIN – A common refrain is there’s never a cop around when you need one, but that wasn’t the case in the predawn dark of the city Friday.
About 3 a.m., Franklin police patrolling the neighborhood of Franklin and School streets for the source of a noise complaint were flagged down by a resident who reported having just been robbed and a car loaded with assailants had just driven away.
A woman with mobility issues had been restrained with duct tape, leaving four young children without supervision.
Police quickly apprehended three city residents, Melissa Natal, 35, Juan Flores, 25, and Bryan Martinez, 24, all of Franklin, who are now facing charges related to the incident.
Natal is charged with two counts of conspiracy to commit robbery, criminal restraint and conspiracy to commit criminal restraint, all felonies. She’s also charged with simple assault and four counts of child endangerment, all misdemeanors.
Flores is charged with six counts of criminal threatening, as well as conspiracy to commit robbery, burglary and criminal restraint.
Martinez is charged with second-degree assault, criminal restraint and criminal threatening, as well as conspiracy to commit both robbery and burglary.
All three suspects had booking photos taken while in a holding cell at the police station. Natal’s photo has her wrapped in toilet paper she had applied herself after complaining the cell was too cold. Also feeling the chill was Flores, who appears armless in his mugshot having pulled them inside the short-sleeved T-shirt he was wearing. Martinez in contrast appears perfectly relaxed in warmer clothing.
“Sometimes it gets real cold in there, but it wasn’t very cold last night,” said Sgt. Dan Poirier.
The trio was to be arraigned Friday afternoon in Merrimack Superior Court.
