Jackson Cote, 18, of 24 Belmont Drive, Merrimack

SHREWSBURY, Massachusetts – Jackson A. Cote, one of three Merrimack teens arrested in December in connection with the theft of thousands of dollars of tools from two Nashua schools, is now in custody in Massachusetts on felony charges stemming from the armed robbery of a highway truck stop.

Cote, 18, of 24 Belmont Drive, is charged with one count each of assault with a dangerous weapon; assault to rob – armed; conspiracy; and attempt to commit robbery, according to Shrewsbury police Chief Kevin Anderson.

Anderson said Cote and two other men allegedly entered Flynn’s Truck Stop, 307 Hartford Turnpike, shortly after 3 a.m. on Jan. 30. According to the clerk, one of them – Anderson didn’t say which one – was armed with a weapon and allegedly demanded money and goods.

Arrested along with Cote was Alexander Wheaton, 31, of 64 Cricket Drive in Sturbridge. He is facing the same set of charges as Cote, Anderson said.

The third suspect, who was the alleged getaway driver, fled from police, but Anderson said they know his identity and have issued a warrant for his arrest.

According to Anderson, one of the officers who responded to the truck stop noticed a dark-colored sedan “traveling away from the truck stop,” prompting him to activate his emergency lights in an attempt to stop the vehicle.

But rather than pull over, the driver allegedly sped up, and soon crossed into Worcester while allegedly “operating in a dangerous manner and traveling at a high rate of speed,” according to Anderson.

Upon reaching Hamilton Street in Worcester, the driver allegedly “attempted to make a “sharp, evasive maneuver,” but the vehicle slid off the roadway and was rendered inoperable, Anderson said.

All three occupants allegedly fled on foot into the woods, with officers running after them. They eventually caught up with Cote and Wheaton and took them into custody.

Anderson didn’t provide information on the men’s bail status or say whether they have made their first court appearance.

As for Cote’s Nashua case, he and two other Merrimack teens, Cody Cook, 18, and Brent Wallin, 19, both of 90 Turkey Hill Road, were each charged in early December with two counts of theft by unauthorized taking.

Their arrests came several weeks after police were contacted by the owners of two construction trailers, one of which was parked at Fairgrounds Elementary School and the other at nearby Fairgrounds Middle School.

The owners told police the trailers had been broken into sometime during the overnight hours of Oct. 27 or 28, and that thousands of dollars worth of tools had been stolen.

Cote, Cook and Wallin were booked and later released on personal recognizance bail. Cote’s next court appearance is an arraignment scheduled for 1 p.m. Feb. 25 in Hillsborough County Superior Court South.

According to their case summaries, Cook and Wallin have been arraigned and both are next due in court on March 16 for dispositional conferences.

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