MOST WANTED FUGITIVE SEEN IN OREGON

MASSACHUSETTS STATE POLICE WORKING WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES IN PACIFIC NORTHWEST TO TRACK MICHAEL BRESNAHAN

Massachusetts State Police announce that MICHAEL T. BRESNAHAN, one of Massachusetts' Most Wanted fugitives, was spotted last weekend in a store in Springfield, Oregon and was last seen hitchhiking on a highway in that state. Bresnahan, 36 (D.O.B. 1/31/72), is wanted for terrorizing and sexually assaulting a 61-year-old woman after forcibly entering her home in Winchendon, Mass., last year.

Bresnahan, who has been featured on the television show "America's Most Wanted," was seen Saturday night purchasing camping equipment in a Walmart in Springfield, Oregon. Further information developed by local police there revealed that Bresnahan was last seen hitchhiking later that night in the northbound lane of Interstate 5 in Springfield.

Investigators believe that Bresnahan frequents truck stops and maybe hitchhiking with truck drivers.

An image and description of Bresnahan is included with this release, as are surveillance images, taken from a Walmart security camera, positively identifying Bresnahan. Massachusetts State Police warn that Bresnahan should be considered dangerous and potentially armed, and urge anyone who sees him to contact police immediately.

Bresnahan broke into the Winchendon home of his victim, a former school teacher, early on the morning of Aug. 30, 2007. Armed with a knife, he held her against her will for more than two hours while assaulting her. Based on evidence gathered during a subsequent investigation, Winchendon Police obtained an arrest warrant for Bresnahan out of the Winchendon District Court.

Bresnahan is 5'9" tall and weighs approximately 160 lbs. He is Caucasian, with a light complexion and blue eyes, and brown hair, which he may be wearing long or in a pony tail. Bresnahan has several tattoos: a woman's head on his chest, a music note on his wrist, a panther on his right upper arm, a rose and heart on his right forearm, and an eagle on his left forearm. A fan of rock music, Bresnahan enjoys playing guitar. He may be using aliases.

Anyone with information about Michael Bresnahan or his whereabouts is urged to contact the Massachusetts State Police Violent Fugitive Apprehension Section at 1-800-KAPTURE (1-800-527-8873).