Zachary Laporte, age 25, of 64 Pinehurst Street, Methuen, Massachusetts

By DEAN SHALHOUP

Senior Staff Writer

NASHUA – A police investigation launched in April into allegations that 23-year-old Kiana Moudarri, a Nashua woman who was given a suspended 2-4 year prison sentence two years ago on felony charges stemming from a police pursuit, has been distributing cocaine in Nashua culminated in her arrest Wednesday.

Police said they also took into custody Zachary Laporte, 25, of 64 Pinehurst St., Methuen, Massachusetts, on Wednesday, charging him with similar offenses.

Moudarri, of 8 Donovan Drive, is charged with three counts of sale of a controlled drug (cocaine), subsequent offense, all special felonies, and one count of criminal liability to sale of cocaine, a Class B felony, according to police.

Kianna Moudarri, age 23, of 8 Donovan Drive, Nashua

Laporte’s charges include one count each of sale of a controlled drug (cocaine), subsequent offense, a special felony, and possession with intent to distribute cocaine, subsequent offense, a Class A felony, police said.

They didn’t say whether Moudarri and Laporte were held in jail, or if bail amounts were set and if so, whether they posted bail.

Police did say the two will be arraigned in Hillsborough County Superior court South “at a date to be determined.”

Police said the department’s Narcotics Intelligence Division’s investigation into Moudarri and Laporte’s alleged drug-related activities led to the issuance of warrants for both of them, on which they were taken into custody around 4 p.m. Wednesday by members of the Problem Oriented Policing (POP) Unit.

Moudarri has had scrapes with law enforcement in both New Hampshire and Massachusetts over the course of three years, including the case in which she was accused of failing to stop for Nashua police, then allegedly driving at an officer while fleeing the attempted motor vehicle stop, according to reports at the time.

A Superior Court judge subsequently accepted a plea agreement that spared Moudarri prison time. Prosecutors had sought a 1-3 year stand committed term at the plea and sentencing hearing, which took place in September 2018.

The judge imposed the 2-4 year term, suspended for three years, dependent upon conditions that included she write a “meaningful” letter of apology to the officer she was accused of driving toward.

The officer, Richard Sprankle, was one of several officers who attempted to arrest Moudarri, who had active warrants issued out of Lowell, Massachusetts.

According to police reports, the officers tried to stop the Mercedes in which Moudarri was driving out of a local tow lot.

She reportedly locked the car’s doors then “put it in gear and accellerated rapidly” toward Sprankle, who was forced to push himself off the car’s hood to avoid being struck.

Sprankle and another officer pursued the car from downtown Nashua into Hudson, and back into Nashua before calling off the pursuit when Moudarri crossed into Massachusetts.

They subsequently issued warrants for Moudarri’s arrest, which led to her apprehension about a week later.

Dean Shalhoup may be reached at 594-1256 or dshalhoup@nashuatelegraph.com.

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