US police arrest suspected ‘trigamist’

Police in the US have arrested a man accused of having three wives in three different states.

Michael Middleton has been dubbed the “Cupid of Chaos” by the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office in Ohio, who announced yesterday that he had been taken into custody.

The 43-year-old is wanted for bigamy by authorities in New Hampshire, who claim he married Alicia Grant in the state in 2013, despite already being married not once, but twice.

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Prosecutors say they have valid marriage documents showing that Middleton had already wed Katherine Lashley in Georgia and Kassandra Shipley in Alabama before tying the knot for a third time with Grant.

They will argue that he married the women to con them out of their assets, ABC reports.

“He makes you feel special, he makes you feel like he actually cares about you, and then he marries you, abuses you, drains your assets and leaves,” Grant told local news station WMTW. She said she had been scammed out of $20,000 (£15,500) by Middleton.

According to the news station, Middleton’s caper came to an end when the three women found out about each other and filed a report with police.

“Investigators say there could be more wives,” WILX reports.

Middleton was due in court last Thursday, but missed his scheduled appearance. Sheriff’s deputies tracked him down and brought him to Franklin County Jail, where he is awaiting an extradition hearing.

The Maine-born man is also wanted in his home state on charges of domestic violence, violation of protective order, driving under the influence, driving without a valid licence, and violating conditions of release.