NH fugitive arrested after singing karaoke at bar, authorities say
Ronald Duby, Jr. featured on WMUR.com’s Most Wanted Wednesday last week
Ronald Duby, Jr. featured on WMUR.com’s Most Wanted Wednesday last week
Ronald Duby, Jr. featured on WMUR.com’s Most Wanted Wednesday last week
A wanted fugitive who was seen singing karaoke at a Massachusetts bar over the weekend was arrested, police said.
Nashua DJ Bernie Del Llano called it a weird coincidence.
He said he was at a staff meeting Saturday night at a bar on Princeton Street in Chelmsford, Massachusetts, when one of his coworkers pointed out a picture of New Hampshire's "Fugitive of the Week."
"One of my friends said, 'Listen, I think this guy has been to some of our karaoke shows. Be on the lookout,'" Del Llano said. "It was kind of funny.
Ronald Duby Jr., 43, was arrested on an outstanding Hillsborough County warrant for failing to appear in court on a charge of failing to register as a sex offender/duty to inform.
He was featured last week on WMUR.com’s Most Wanted Wednesday.
Police said Duby is required to register as a sex offender because he was convicted of aggravated felonious sexual assault in 1995 against a victim younger than 13.
Del Llano said things got even stranger when Duby messaged him on Facebook.
"Out of the clear blue, he Facebooks me. I don't even have him on Facebook. I recognized him immediately. I saw the U.S. Marshals' thing," Del Llano said.
He crafted a plan to get Duby into the bar.
"I started thinking. I was like, 'You know what? We're going to have a karaoke contest here. Why don't you come down? I think you have a chance to maybe win this contest,'" Del Llano said.
When Duby showed up at the bar, Del Llano called the police.
"We received a call here at the Chelmsford Police Department right around 9 at night that an individual who was dining at a restaurant in town saw who he believed was wanted in New Hampshrie by the New Hampshire authorities," Chelmsford Police Chief James Spinney said.
Duby was charged as a fugitive from justice. He appeared in Lowell District Court Monday, but he is expected to be extradited to New Hampshire.
Del Llano said he was happy to do his part to capture the fugitive.
As a citizen, I think we need to step up to do something like this. So I did my duty, and I feel pretty good about it," he said.