N.H. man accused of using gun to threaten woman into marriage

A New Hampshire man was arrested over the weekend after authorities said he threatened a woman into marrying him and cut off her hand in what they called a “satanic ritual.”

Daniel Ouellet, 47, allegedly reassured police he was a “really safe guy” after officers found him with the woman at Olive Garden in Newington, New Hampshire, on Saturday, court documents state. It was first reported by WMURThe unusual incident led to a shelter-in-place order near Lee, where Ouellet was living in a camp.

Pennsylvania State Police requested a welfare check after hearing from the woman’s mother, who traced her cellphone to Olive Garden in New Hampshire, Newington Police Chief Michael Bilodeau said via email. Newington officers responded to the restaurant just before 11:30 a.m., and the woman came out crying upon seeing the oncoming cruisers, according to an arrest affidavit filed in court.

Officers noticed visible cigarette burns on the woman’s legs, according to the affidavit, and she reportedly told them she wanted to file an emergency protective order against Ouellet.

Ouellet allegedly insisted that he and his “wife” had just gone out for a meal, telling an officer that the woman was upset “because her mother was trying to force her to join a cult in Pennsylvania, and she was tired of dealing with her.”

But the woman told a completely different story, according to police. She allegedly told officers that Ouellet had contacted her more than a week earlier, threatening to come down to Pennsylvania and harm her and her family if she did not drive to meet him. It was not immediately clear how the couple knew each other.

When the woman arrived in New England, Ouellet allegedly slipped a gun into his pocket and announced that they were going to City Hall in Lee to get married, “or he would make her pay,” the affidavit states. The woman also told police that Ouellet kept her phone throughout the days she spent with him.

According to the affidavit, Ouellet made the woman drive him in her car on Friday while he sat in the passenger seat and pointed a loaded gun at her. He allegedly told her “that religious cults were following them.”

Inside the car, Newington police allegedly found a copy of “The Satanic Bible” that belonged to Ouellette. Authorities allege Ouellet also chopped up the woman’s hand with a cutting machine earlier Saturday morning “to proceed with what she described as a satanic ritual.”

Newington police charged Ouellet with using a deadly weapon to prevent someone from reporting a crime, though Bilodeau said Ouellet faces additional charges in Lee. The Lee Police Department did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday.

Court documents indicate Ouellet faces charges out of Kittery, Maine as well, although the exact charges were not immediately clear. His criminal record includes a 2005 conviction for domestic violence crimes in Maine, according to one filing.

The judge overseeing his arraignment reported Monday that Ouellet appeared to be “following up and responding appropriately,” although “at one point he made a comment that may indicate some weakness of thought.” It was not immediately clear whether Ouellet had an attorney to speak on his behalf.

“If you talk to anyone who knows me, I’m not a physical guy,” he said in an interview. WMUR video From the accusation, adding that forcing someone to marry goes against his beliefs.

Ouellet added: “I absolutely believe in free will, and I have never been aggressive with it in any way described in that paper.”