New Hampshire man charged for ditching SUV, evading Georgetown police for days after driving erratically

GEORGETOWN – On Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026, at approximately 1:31 a.m., Georgetown Police Officer Sean Ridge was on patrol traveling westbound on East Main Street behind a black Honda CR-V when he observed the vehicle’s speed fluctuate repeatedly.

(The account and quotations in this article were sourced from the printed Personnel Narrative of Officer Sean Ridge and do not reflect any political perspective or personal opinion of News Link Live, which is strictly a business entity.)

Officer Ridge said the vehicle’s repeated acceleration and deceleration appeared unrelated to traffic, road conditions or changes in the posted speed limit.

“As we approached the intersection at Central Street, the vehicle was in the straight or right-hand turn lane, then suddenly and sharply signaled and made a left-hand turn, crossing the solid white and double yellow lines across the left-turn lane and onto Central Street,” Officer Ridge said. “Based on the speed irregularities, the sharp, sudden turn, and the marked lane violation, I suspected the operator may be operating under the influence.”

Officer Ridge said he followed the vehicle onto Central Street and then onto Andover Street.

“As I got closer to the vehicle, the vehicle activated its left turn signal,” Officer Ridge said. “This drew my attention because there were no intersecting roadways to the left for approximately one-quarter mile, aside from residential driveways.”

The driver abruptly signaled and turned right onto Cedar Lane, a maneuver Officer Ridge said led him to believe the driver was trying to evade him.

“I followed it onto Cedar Lane,” Officer Ridge said. “As I got close to the vehicle again, it turned suddenly into the driveway of 12 Cedar Lane behind a parked white pickup truck; the operator parked and exited the vehicle.”

Officer Ridge said he stopped in the street to see if the individual would go inside the home.

“I decided that if the operator entered the house, I would not continue my investigation into the potential operation under the influence,” Officer Ridge said.

Officer Ridge described the driver as a white male wearing a white long-sleeved shirt with black lettering on the back that may have said “ARMY.” He was also wearing black pants and white sneakers.

“The operator started walking around the front right corner of the house towards the backyard, away from the main entrance,” Officer Ridge said.

Officer Ridge said he activated his cruiser’s left alley light and yelled through the window for the driver to speak with him. The man then ran away from the officer toward the backyard and the woods beyond.

“I immediately exited my cruiser and pursued him on foot, then radioed in my location and that a party was running from me on foot,” Officer Ridge said. “I continually yelled out to the fleeing male party, ‘Police. Stop.’ The operator ran through a wooded area and into the yard of 51 Andover Street, then into the woods on the other side of the yard, heading west. A stone wall marked the boundary of 51 Andover Street’s property. The pursuit required me to climb over a stone wall and navigate downed trees, branches, thorny vegetation, and uneven, unfamiliar terrain in darkness.”

Officer Ridge said he believed continuing the pursuit posed a significant risk of injury. He then lost sight of the driver.

“Given the time of night and the potential danger of running through the woods toward an unknown individual, not knowing if he may be armed, what his intentions were, and not knowing why he was running from the police, I decided to return to his vehicle and gather any additional information I could,” Officer Ridge said.

Officer Kevin Cunniff, two Boxford police officers, and a Groveland police officer responded to the area to help search for the man.

When Officer Ridge returned to the vehicle, he had Georgetown Control run its New Hampshire license plates, which came back as belonging to a woman from Atkinson, New Hampshire.

“All officers searched the area for the party with negative results,” Officer Ridge said. “At my request, Georgetown Control contacted surrounding departments to see whether a drone was available. I also asked Georgetown Control to contact the Atkinson Police Department to see if they had any information on who might be operating the vehicle.”

Officer Ridge said he returned to 51 Andover Street and saw three juvenile males in the barn, who were approximately 13-14 years old.

“I waved them down, briefly explained what was going on, and told them to lock up the barn, which had multiple doors wide open,” Officer Ridge said. “I also told them to inform their parents and call 911 if they saw anyone running through their yard.”

Officer Ridge then returned to 12 Cedar Lane, parked behind the CR-V to block it in, and spoke with a resident who told him he didn’t know whose vehicle it was.

Officer Ridge asked the resident it he would like the vehicle removed from his property, as it was blocking his vehicle from being able to leave the driveway.

“[The resident] said he wanted it removed,” Officer Ridge said, adding that the resident also had Ring camera footage which was sent to his department email address.

“The footage clearly shows the male party exiting the vehicle and making his way to the back yard,” Officer Ridge said. “The only available drone was with the Manchester Fire Department, with an estimated arrival time of 45 minutes. I contacted the on-call supervisor, Sergeant Daniel Jenkins. We agreed that sending for the drone that far out, with limited charges, was unnecessary. At that time, we had secured the vehicle, and I had not observed any indication that the operator was injured, incapacitated, or otherwise in immediate need of medical assistance.”

Officer Ridge said he and Sergeant Jenkins also decided to have the vehicle towed and placed on hold. Georgetown Control contacted then Paul’s Auto Truck Service in Rowley at approximately 2:15 a.m.

“Atkinson police initially had no information regarding who may have been operating the vehicle,” Officer Ridge said. “They subsequently made contact with the registered owners at their residence and provided Georgetown Control with the owners’ phone number. Atkinson police also advised that the owners identified their adult son, Dylan Musgrave, as the person operating the vehicle.”

According to Dylan R. Musgrave, 26, is a resident of Atkinson, New Hampshire.

Officer Ridge called the owners of the vehicle on his department cell phone.

“I used speakerphone so my body camera would record the conversation,” Officer Ridge said. “[The owners] said their son, Dylan, was the only person who would drive the vehicle and that it was very unlikely anyone else would. They told me that they had called their son after being contacted by the Atkinson police. They said there was odd interference with the signal, but they told Dylan he had to turn himself in to the police. They told me he said he knew he had to.”

Musgrave’s mother also told Officer Ridge that her son had left home at approximately 6:00 p.m. to attend a concert in Boston with friends.

“She described him as wearing black jeans, a white t-shirt, and white sneakers when he left the house,” Officer Ridge said. “This clothing description was consistent with the clothing I observed the operator wearing immediately before he fled.”

Musgrave’s parents told Officer Ridge they tried calling their son back, but his phone was now possibly turned off because their calls were going straight to voicemail.

“They told me that Dylan had been charged previously with operating under the influence in New Hampshire approximately four years earlier,” Officer Ridge said. “I informed [Musgrave’s parents] that I would tow the vehicle and have it held until we made contact with Dylan.”

Officer Ridge asked Musgrave’s parents to continue trying to call their son and let him know if they heard back. They agreed to do so.

“[Musgrave’s parents] also told me that they did not think he was going to come back to their house, where he lives, and he would probably go to a friend’s house,” Officer Ridge said. “They said that he knows they would drag him into the police station by the ear.”

Paul’s Auto Truck Service arrived on scene at approximately 2:53 a.m. and took possession of the vehicle.

“I asked the tow truck driver to hold the vehicle and not release it until speaking with us,” Officer Ridge said, adding, “Officers continued checking the area with negative results. [Musgrave’s mother] called me back on my department cell phone and told me they still have not been able to contact Dylan. She provided his phone number, and I reached out; it went straight to voicemail, and I left a message asking him to let us know if he was safe. I have yet to hear back.”

Officer Ridge said police still had no luck in locating Musgrave.

“Dylan was not located. During the remainder of the shift, Georgetown Control received no reports of unknown or unwanted persons entering or wandering on properties in the area,” Officer Ridge said. “Based on the lack of subsequent sightings or calls, I believed Dylan had likely left the immediate area by unknown means.”

Officer Ridge said he tried calling Musgrave again from his department-issued cellphone when he returned for his next shift at approximately 11:00 p.m. on Sept. 20, 2026.

“It rang, but he did not pick up, and I did not leave another message. A few minutes later, Dylan’s number called the same phone,” Officer Ridge said. “When I answered, I identified myself as ‘Officer Ridge.’ The caller promptly hung up without saying anything. I attempted a call back, but the call went to voicemail. I attempted to call him from my desk phone, and again the call was unanswered. I then called and left a message for [Musgrave’s father] asking if they had made contact with their son Dylan and to at least let me know if Dylan was safe.”

Approximately 15 minutes later, Officer Ridge said Musgrave’s mother called him back and informed him that they had spoken to their son and he was safe.

At around this time, Officer Ridge said he requested an arrest warrant for Musgrave based on the totality of the circumstances.

The warrant was recalled and Musgrave was arraigned in Haverhill District Court on Sept. 21, 2026. Following his arraignment, Musgrave was released on personal recognizance.

Musgrave’s next court date is a pretrial hearing scheduled for Nov. 16, 2026.

---

Disclaimer: If you are wondering why the incident in this story took place in September, that’s because I had to file FOIA request(s) to obtain the court documents. FOIAs are time-consuming.

To learn more about News Link Live’s unique business model, please read the following:

An online business model that could replace local newspapers

Why The Leominster Champion Failed

The Medium is the Message by Marshall McCLuhan