A former New Hampshire Democrat lawmaker who became the first openly transgender state House representative was arrested Thursday in Nashua on charges he allegedly distributed child sexual abuse images.
The Derry Democrat, who goes by the name Stacie Marie Laughton, 39, was also charged with three additional counts of distribution of child sexual abuse images, according to a press statement from the Nashua Police Department.
Transgender Former NH State Rep Arrested on Child Porn Chargeshttps://t.co/UIffJuVuCZ
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Laughton, who was held on “preventative detention,” was scheduled to be arraigned on Friday.
According to Boston.com, Nashua police said Laughton’s case is linked to that of Lindsay Groves, 38, of Hudson, New Hampshire, who was also arrested Thursday for allegedly taking explicit photos of children who attended the Creative Minds day care facility in Tyngsborough, where Groves was employed.
A press release Thursday from the United States Attorney’s Office in the District of Massachusetts noted Groves was charged with one count of sexual exploitation of children and one count of distribution of child pornography.
Between May 2022 and June of this year, Groves allegedly took nude images of children when they were taking routine bathroom breaks (“diaper/pull-up changes prior to ‘naptime’”), and texted them to a person with whom she previously had been in an intimate relationship, the release stated.
A mother who said her three-year-old son was one of the victims at the Creative Minds facility told NBC10 Boston that investigators came to her home Wednesday and asked her to identify her son in some of the photos.
“There were multiple photos of him in the bathroom where his pants were on his ankles,” the mother said. “I broke down into tears.”
According to the report, the mother said her toddler began behaving differently a few months ago, but she could not identify what was wrong.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office’s press statement added:
A preliminary forensic review of Grove’s cellphone allegedly revealed over 2,500 text messages between Groves and the individual. These messages allegedly included discussion about, and transfer of, explicit photographs that Groves had taken of children while employed at Creative Minds – including at least four sexually explicit images of children who appear to be approximately three to five years old. This investigation is continuing.
Boston.com reported that Nashua police did not indicate if the person to whom Groves texted the images is Laughton.
Laughton, who resigned his seat in the New Hampshire House in December 2022, has a long list of legal problems, including his arrest at that time for allegedly engaging in stalking and harassing, as reported by the Union Leader.
Laughton was reportedly convicted of conspiracy to commit credit card fraud in 2008 and resigned the seat he won in the state legislature in 2012 after the felony conviction was exposed.
According to the Union Leader, the former representative has a history of mental health and addiction issues, and was arrested in 2021, after his 2020 election, when accused of sending false emergency text messages to the state’s E-911 center.
According to Steve MacDonald, managing editor and co-owner of GraniteGrok.com, Laughton was born Barry Charles.
The U.S. Attorney’s office provided information about the potential sentence for crimes of sexual exploitation of children and distribution of child pornography.
“The charge of sexual exploitation of children provides for a sentence of at least 15 years and up to 30 years in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000,” the office said. “The charge of distribution of child pornography provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and up to 20 years in prison, a mandatory minimum of five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000.”
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Susan Berry, PhD is national education editor at The Star News Network. Email tips to [email protected]
Background Photo “Courtroom” by Carol M. Highsmith.
