N.H. woman accused of hiding hit-and-run hubby
The wife of the man accused in the fatal hit-and-run of a retired police sergeant who was biking last week in New Hampshire was arraigned Monday on charges that she hindered the police investigation.
Angela Sprowl, 39, of Rochester, N.H., is accused of trying to hide her husband from police at a Portsmouth motel. Sprowl was arraigned on Monday in connection with the hit-and-run crash that killed retired police sergeant Donna Briggs, 59, of Derry.
Sprowl has been charged with hindering apprehension and stalking. Not-guilty pleas were entered on her behalf, and she was held on $10,000 bail.
“I’m just really worried about getting out and having my job,” she told the judge. “I work at the Sheraton, and I just really love my job, and I’m hoping this doesn’t stop me from being employed.”
Her husband, Craig Sprowl — whom she was trying to hide from detectives, police said — has also been arrested in connection with last week’s fatal hit-and-run crash in Kingston.
Craig Sprowl was taken into custody at the Motel 6 in Portsmouth, and has been charged with negligent homicide and conduct after an accident.
Briggs was biking to get ready for the Police Unity Tour, a cycling event in honor of law enforcement officers who have died in the line of duty.
Following the retired police sergeant’s death, New Hampshire State Police detectives obtained a warrant for Craig Sprowl’s arrest. Detectives went to the Motel 6 in Portsmouth and saw Angela Sprowl in the parking lot, according to the affidavit.
The detectives asked her if Craig could come outside and speak with them, and Angela “claimed that she was at the motel alone,” the affidavit reads.
After the detectives entered the motel, they saw that Angela “suddenly motioned with her hand(s) as if directing these gestures toward someone at the northeast corner of the motel building … it was apparent that A. Sprowl was gesturing with her hands in an attempt to deter someone away.”
Angela Sprowl then drove to the rear of the motel to apparently pick up Craig Sprowl, but he wasn’t there so she returned to the front parking lot, police said. That’s when the detectives saw Craig Sprowl “concealing himself ” near the motel building, and police took him into custody.
Angela Sprowl was subsequently arrested at the scene.
She was also charged for stalking because she was arrested in December on a domestic violence charge, and she was ordered to have no contact with her husband and stay at least 300 feet away from him.
She will return to court on Tuesday.