Maine man arrested after woman escapes at Olive Garden following alleged forced marriage and ritual cutting
Daniel Ouellet, 47, was arrested outside an Olive Garden in Newington, New Hampshire, after a woman escaped and told police he had held her hostage, forced her to marry him, and cut her hand in what she described as a satanic ritual. The woman's mother tracked her cellphone to the restaurant and requested a welfare check, leading officers to find the woman in tears with cigarette burns on her legs. The case highlights a pattern of alleged coercive control, as prosecutors noted Ouellet has a prior criminal record including domestic violence and DWI charges.
On Saturday, Newington, New Hampshire police responded to an Olive Garden restaurant after the victim's mother tracked her cellphone there and alerted authorities. When officers arrived, the woman ran out of the restaurant and sought help, telling police that Ouellet had threatened to harm her and her family in Pennsylvania if she did not come to him in New England. According to the arrest affidavit, Ouellet confiscated her phone, forced her to drive at gunpoint while claiming religious cults were following them, and compelled her to sign marriage paperwork at a town hall. Earlier that Saturday, he allegedly used a box cutter to slice open her hand as part of what she called a satanic ritual; police later found a copy of 'The Satanic Bible' in his car. Officers also observed cigarette burns on the woman's legs. Ouellet faces charges including domestic violence, obstructing the report of a crime, and possession of a deadly weapon, with additional charges pending in Lee, New Hampshire and Kittery, Maine. At his Monday arraignment, Ouellet denied all allegations and was ordered held in preventive detention, while the woman was granted an emergency order of protection.
What's missing
It is also unclear whether Ouellet had obtained legal representation by the time of reporting.
How coverage differed
The New York Post used charged, tabloid-style language throughout — describing Ouellet as a 'nutjob,' 'maniac,' 'lunatic,' and 'creep' — while The Independent and NBC News reported the same facts in more neutral, straightforward terms consistent with standard crime reporting.
What different sources said
- The IndependentLeft
Man who forced woman into marriage and cut her in a satanic ritual arrested after she broke free at Olive Garden: cops
- New York PostRight
Woman rescued from New Hampshire Olive Garden after nutjob allegedly forced her into marriage and sliced her hand in disturbing satanic ritual
- NBC NewsLeft
Woman rescued at Olive Garden after man forced her into ‘satanic ritual’ and held her hostage, police say
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