By Michael Donoghue, Vermont News First

Montpelier Police have arrested a Manchester, N.H. man, who authorities say pointed a loaded handgun at a Washington County teen after crossing state lines to assault her and engaged in sex.

Jared Marcus Hutchins, 22, appeared briefly in U.S. District Court in Burlington Friday afternoon on federal charges of coercion of a minor girl and engaging in interstate travel to have illicit sexual conduct, records show.

Visiting Magistrate Judge Ruth Miller agreed with Assistant U.S. Attorney Dana E. Hill that Hutchins needed to be jailed pending trial. Hill argued that Hutchins was a danger to the community and to the “very brave” young teen.

Hill said Hutchins threatened to throw the girl into a river, but she said she could not swim. She said if she was going to die, she would rather be shot. The prosecutor said the girl was scared and afraid to tell anybody right away about the incident from last Friday, but she was smart enough to take pictures of her bruises and to write notes about what happened, which are now in the hands of investigators.

The girl was also afraid because Hutchins insisted that if he got arrested he would be bailed out in an hour and he would find her, Hill said.

He explained authorities, after learning on Sunday about the crimes, were in the process of executing several investigative steps this week when Montpelier Police on Thursday spotted the suspect’s car parked near the city park where the teen reported she was assaulted earlier.

Montpelier Police arrested Hutchins without incident near at Gateway Park on Lower State Street across from Green Mountain Cemetery, Sgt. Chris Quesnel said.

Judge Miller rejected a request by the defense that Hutchins be allowed to return to his Manchester, N.H. apartment that he shares with a girlfriend. Miller said she did not have a written report from the Pre-Trial Services Office, but was concerned about the residence because it appeared to be a brand new living arrangement.

Hutchins, who Miller said is a warehouse dock worker, appeared to break down when he realized he was not going to be going home from court. Miller called it a “troubling case.”

Quesnel said in a court affidavit the girl reported she had sexual intercourse with the man, who had threatened her and assaulted her with a firearm to prevent her from initially telling anybody.

Montpelier Police Detective Alesha Donovan started the investigation, but soon had help from both the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and from Homeland Security Investigations.

When arrested, Hutchins was carrying a black bag across his chest and Hutchins admitted there was a 9×19-mm semi-automatic inside, Quesnel said.

If convicted on the enticement of a minor, Hutchins faces a mandatory 10-year minimum sentence and up to life imprisonment.

The case began on Sunday April 12 when Montpelier Police received a complaint from a parent about a daughter being threatened by a man she was communicating with by Snapchat, court records show.

The girl admitted to exchanging photos with Hutchins and both had provided nude pictures of themselves during the photo swapping, according to Quesnel, who is a member of the Vermont ATF Task Force.

The girl told investigators they had sexual intercourse at least three times, Quesnel said in the affidavit.

During a visit to Washington County, Hutchins became upset when he reviewed the girl’s Snapchat account and believed she had other male contacts, court records note.

The girl reported that her assailant had stabbed her in the stomach with a screwdriver, had pulled her hair, tried to rip out a body piercing, pulled her head into his lap and called her derogatory names, the court affidavit noted.

She reported Hutchins threatened to take the young teen across state lines to Manchester, N.H., the affidavit said. The girl indicated he was driving at speeds she believed were in excess of 100 miles per hour. He had to turn around when the car developed a mechanical problem.

Manchester, N.H. Police reported they had an incident April 10 with Hutchins when he was wearing a ski mask and had a firearm while driving a Mercedes Benz.

ATF Special Agent Eric Brimo, a firearms expert, used a body camera image from that traffic stop by Manchester, N.H. Police to determine the gun was a 9x19mm. Manchester Police ran a check on the gun and determined it was not stolen and had to return it to Hutchins, Quesnel said.

Two Montpelier Police officers came across a disabled Mercedes Benz on Saturday April 11 and Hutchins said he was waiting for a friend to deliver him a part and no assistance was needed from police, court records show.

It was the next day that Montpelier Police received the report about the girl, court records show.

A review of the girl’s cellphone on April 13 uncovered numerous messages exchanged between her and an individual listed as “jared” between mid-February and April 12, Quesnel wrote.

Quesnel said Montpelier Sgt. Benjamin Michaud and Officer Hunter Lane also were active in the investigation and arrest of Hutchins.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan A. Ophardt commended the swift and collaborative efforts of Montpelier and Manchester, N.H. Police, the ATF and HSI Task Forces in Vermont.

“I am extremely grateful for the partnership of these law enforcement agencies, and I am immensely proud of their work so far on this case,” Ophardt said. He said the office “will continue to prioritize protecting children from harm and holding accountable those who victimize them.”

Ophardt said the criminal case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. It was launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.