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On the last day of campaigning, Republican Kelly Ayotte was out on the road with New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, making stops at grocery stores and pizza shops.

Democrat Joyce Craig, on the other hand, held three closed-door events with progressive Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, a frequent campaign sidekick of Craig’s. The two even took a road trip to the West Coast to raise money from liberal Democrats in Berkeley, Calif.

“Craig has welcomed Healey’s backing,” the liberal Boston Globe reported Monday.

It’s a political partnership the Ayotte campaign is happy to talk about in the final hours of the campaign.

“Joyce Craig wants to raise taxes by $160 million and spends her time campaigning with Maura Healey,” Ayotte campaign spokesman John Corbett said in a statement. “If you didn’t know better, you’d think she’s running to be governor of Massachusetts, not New Hampshire.”

From the beginning of her bid for governor, Ayotte has embraced the slogan “Don’t MASS Up New Hampshire.” It’s a message that appears to resonate with voters. In a recent UMass Lowell poll, 55 percent of Republicans say the Granite State is “at great risk” of becoming too much like Massachusetts in the next 10 years.

So, Team Ayotte was more than happy to send its candidate with Sununu to Alley Cat Pizzeria in Manchester and the Market Basket in Hooksett, while Craig campaigned with Healey in Exeter, Manchester, and Nashua.

When a NHJournal reporter showed up at the Healey event in Nashua on Monday, he was told it was a “closed event.” Outside, a small group of Republicans waved “Don’t MASS Up New Hampshire” signs, inspiring honks and thumbs up from passing drivers.

Among the sign wavers was New Hampshire GOP chair Chris Ager.

“Why not campaign with — and for — Granite Staters?” Ager asked as he stood outside. “Not only was the Massachusetts governor campaigning for Craig, most of the cars in the parking lot were from Massachusetts, too. Who will Joyce Craig owe if she wins?”

During their campaign stop in Manchester, Ayotte and Sununu were asked about Craig wrapping up her race with Healey.

“You have to wonder, why do you (Craig) have so many events with the governor of Massachusetts?” Ayotte asked. “I just came from knocking doors in Ward 6, talking to independents and other voters. You have to be ready to talk to any voter. That’s what this is all about: earning their support.”

Sununu jumped in, too.

“Kelly spends 100 percent of her time talking to people from New Hampshire because that’s what matters. Joyce Craig, on the other hand, spends all of her time with people from Massachusetts and New York.”

Asked about the mood of the electorate, Sununu said there is excitement among Republican voters, “and it’s absolutely palpable.”

“When you knocked on the doors, say, a month ago, a lot of folks weren’t opening their doors. It’s like it was almost too far from the election.

“But with Kelly out knocking on doors, they’re opening the doors. The people we talk to are independent, and they’re excited. Whether it’s Manchester, Nashua — everybody is coming out. There’s going to be really high turnout. But the energy, specifically among Republicans for these races, is very real.”

And Sununu believes Republicans are going to have a good night, too, predicting a win for the GOP in the races for governor, control of the state legislature, and the Executive Council. And, he says, the numbers are good for Trump in New Hampshire as well.

“I look at 2016 because I think that’s more of a comparable race to today,” Sununu said. “They’re all leaning the Republican’s way. So, give me Trump’s poll numbers, which are definitely closer today than they were in 2016.”

Ayotte wasn’t prepared to make a grand declaration.

“I’m just going to work to earn every vote. Just keep working.”

Hit with a free speech lawsuit for denying residents the ability to fly a historical, patriotic flag at City Hall, Nashua Mayor Jim Donchess seemingly retreated by repealing the public flag pole policy.

The repeal isn’t a white flag, the city’s attorneys insist. But lawyers for the residents who’ve brought the lawsuit say it’s a bait and switch to avoid legal peril.

Nashua resident Beth Scaer filed her lawsuit last month after the city refused to allow her to fly a Pine Tree Riot flag on City Hall’s “Citizen’s Flag Pole.” In its rejection statement, the city said the Pine Tree Flag, and a “Protect Women’s Sports” flag she attempted to fly previously, were “not in harmony with the message that the city wishes to express and endorse.”

After the lawsuit was filed, Donchess quietly ended the city’s long tradition of having a public flagpole, declaring that in the future, Nashua’s government would decide what flags would and wouldn’t fly and do so without community involvement.

But that repeal, done without any public input or approval from the city’s Board of Alderman, isn’t enough to get out of legal trouble, insists Scaer’s attorney, Nathan Ristuccia, with the Institute for Free Speech.

“This abrupt change is a transparent attempt to avoid judicial scrutiny, but it cannot moot the Scaers’ claim for injunctive relief,” Ristuccia said in a court filing this week.

Ristuccia said the repeal was simply cover for Nashua to engage in censorship by silencing the views of residents who do not walk in lock-step with the administration. But repealing the policy doesn’t fix anything, he wrote. In fact, Nashua and Donchess have said they don’t plan to stop controlling speech through City Hall, according to Ristuccia.

“If this Court does not grant relief, Defendant Donchess could restore the old policy just as easily as he repealed it. Indeed, a spokesman for Nashua has publicly ‘denied that the mayor had made any change to the cityʼs flagpole policy’ and stated that Donchess was ‘merely clarifying the existing policy,’” Ristuccia states in his motion.

Those statements were made to NHJournal by Steven A. Bolton, the city’s corporation counsel.

The existing policy for City Hall Plaza Events uses the same language as the now-repealed flag policy in order to control the message people are allowed to express, according to Ristuccia.

“Defendants use a City Hall Plaza Events policy that is almost identical to the 2022 flag policy … Ceremonies at the City Hall Plaza are permitted only if the ceremony’s message is ‘in harmony with city policies and messages that the city wishes to express and endorse’ and in ‘the City’s best interest,’” Ristuccia wrote.

The lawsuit stems from Scaer’s request to fly what is known as the “Appeal to Heaven” flag, featuring that phrase (from philosopher John Locke) and a pine tree. The pine tree is also a reference to the 1772 Pine Tree Riot, which took place in Weare, N.H., and is widely viewed as one of the first skirmishes in the American Revolution.

City officials denied the request, but they did not explain why they found the flag objectionable.

The Citizen Flag Pole in Nashua allowed any resident to apply for a permit to fly a flag at City Hall. Past flags have celebrated Pride Month, Indian Independence Day, Brazilian Independence Day, Greek Independence Day, International Francophonie Day, and the anniversary of the founding of Nashua’s Lions Club.

But Scaer says the city started censoring her in 2020 when her flag with the message “Save Women’s Sports” was removed after flying for one day due to complaints from City Councilor Jan Schmidt. In February, she was again denied when she sought to fly a flag supporting people who detransition after a sex change procedure. The denial stated the message was “not in harmony with the message that the City wishes to express and endorse.”

Appealing to Heaven may not be feasible in a First Amendment dispute, but a federal lawsuit could work.

A Nashua official’s decision to ban the historic Pine Tree flag from outside City Hall this summer is landing Mayor Jim Donchess’ administration in court. Attorneys with the Institute for Free Speech say the city’s abuse of its flagpole policy violates the First Amendment.

“Nashua’s flag policy gives city officials unbridled discretion to censor speech they dislike,” said Institute for Free Speech Attorney Nathan Ristuccia. “The First Amendment doesn’t permit the government to turn a longstanding public forum into a personal billboard for city officials’ preferred views. The Supreme Court has warned against exactly this abuse.”

The Institute for Free Speech is representing Nashua resident Beth Scaer in the lawsuit filed in the United States District Court in Concord. Scaer applied to fly a Pine Tree flag from the city’s flagpole in June, but was denied.

“It’s disturbing that Nashua officials can arbitrarily silence voices they disagree with,” Scaer said. “The Pine Tree Flag represents an important part of our local history, yet the city wouldn’t allow it to fly because it’s somehow not ‘in harmony’ with their message. But this isn’t about one flag—it’s about protecting everyone’s right to free speech.”

The complaint points out that the city maintains a “Citizen Flag Pole” in front of city hall for people “to fly a flag in support of cultural heritage, [to] observe an anniversary, honor a special accomplishment, or support a worthy cause.” Those causes have included Pride Month, Indian Independence Day, Brazilian Independence Day, Greek Independence Day, International Francophonie Day, and the anniversary of the founding of Nashua’s Lions Club, according to court records.

Scaer herself used the flagpole to fly flags celebrating Martin Luther, Women’s Suffrage, and Christianity. But she started running into trouble in 2020 when her flag with the message “Save Women’s Sports” was removed after one day when City Councilor Jan Schmidt complained.

At the time of the 2020 incident, Nashua had no written policy on flag approval. But a 2022 U.S. Supreme Court ruling concerning a citizen’s flag controversy in Boston prompted Nashua to draft one.

The Nashua policy states, “This potential use of a City flag pole is not intended to serve as a forum for free expression by the public. Any message sought to be permitted will be allowed only if it is in harmony with city policies and messages that the city wishes to express and endorse.”

The Institute for Free Speech says that’s not good enough. The net effect is viewpoint censorship, says Mat Staver, founder and chairman of the nonprofit, pro-faith legal group Liberty Counsel. He should know. His organization filed the lawsuit that resulted in the Supreme Court ruling Nashua is accused of violating.

When the City of Boston banned conservative activist Hal Shurtleff from flying the Christian flag, with its white banner and red cross on a blue field, at Boston City Hall in 2017, Staver and Liberty Counsel took the city to court. They eventually won a $2.1 million award and set a legal standard at the U.S. Supreme Court he says Nashua is now failing.

“They’re clearly violating the citizens’ right to free speech, and if they don’t reverse themselves they are subject to a lawsuit. It will be expensive for the city,” Staver told NHJournal.

Scaer’s February application to fly a flag supporting people who detransition after a sex change procedure was denied this year as it was deemed “not in harmony with the message that the City wishes to express and endorse.”

Undeterred, Scaer sought permission to fly a Pine Tree flag around the anniversary of the Battle of Bunker Hill, in part to honor Granite Staters who fought in the battle. A version of the Pine Tree flag is believed to have flown at that battle.

In particular, Scaer wanted to fly what is known as the “Appeal to Heaven” flag, featuring that phrase (from philosopher John Locke) and a pine tree. The pine tree is also a reference to the 1772 Pine Tree Riot, which took place in Weare, N.H., and is widely viewed as one of the first skirmishes in the American Revolution.

But city officials denied the request, stating the flag celebrating Revolutionary War patriots was also not in harmony with the Donchess administration’s vision. The city did not explain why it found the flag objectionable.

The Pine Tree flag made news earlier this year when it was reported conservative U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito flew it at his New Jersey vacation home. The flag was also brandished by a handful of people in the violent mob that attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. The prevailing media narrative then linked Alito to the flag and to the Jan. 6 attack, with barely a mention of the flag’s true origin.

NOTE: An earlier version of this story mistakenly reported Liberty Counsel attempted to fly the Christian Flag in Boston. It was Hal Shurtleff and Camp Constitution, who were later represented by Liberty Counsel. NHJournal regrets the error.

Where in the world is Maggie Goodlander?

If you’re looking for the Democrat running for the Second Congressional District nomination, you might want to try an apartment in the new Nashua apartment building downtown on a street with a taxi stand and a casino.

But if you’re looking for her actual home, it might be the $2.2 million, three-bedroom house with harbor views in the First Congressional District city of Portsmouth. 

Unless it’s a work day. Then you might want to try Washington, D.C. Her husband Jake Sullivan is President Joe Biden’s national security advisor, and the couple has a home there, too.

Which leads to the ironic situation in which Goodlander is the only major candidate actually born in the Granite State, and yet she’s simultaneously facing legitimate allegations of being a “carpetbagger” as well.

Goodlander didn’t rent her Nashua residence until she became a candidate in the congressional race. Asked about the odd optics of moving into a district in order to run for office there, Goodlander retorted: “I am a renter, and there should be more renters in Congress.”

Goodlander’s building advertises apartments starting at $1,800 a month for a studio, and about $2,600 a month for a two-bedroom unit. It includes a gym and courtyard recreation area, though it seems unlikely she’ll be using the communal grill. And Goodlander’s name does not appear in the menu on the touch-screen directory at the building’s entrance.

The building is owned Wingate, one of the real estate rental conglomerates the Biden administration has been recently railing against 

Wingate, which owns and operates many apartment developments, is also a major contributor to Democratic politics, according to Federal Election Commission data. That includes a $95,000 donation to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee that’s working to elect the next representative in the NH-02 race.

Ironically, Goodlander’s residency issues in Nashua go back to the very first time she voted, in 2008.

According to records reviewed by NHJournal, when Goodlander cast her mail-in ballot in the 2008 general election, the address listed was for a Nashua home her parents had already sold. 

According to the 2008 voter checklist, Goodlander registered undeclared and voted by absentee ballot in both the January presidential primary and the November general election. According to the checklist, Goodlander pulled a Democratic ballot in the First in the Nation presidential primary between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.  

The Nashua address Goodlander used for her registration was owned by her parents Betty Tamposi and Theodore Goodlander. However, that house was not her home by the time of the November election. The house was sold that fall, with the sale closing on Oct. 24, 2008, according to Registry of Deeds records.

Betty Tamposi and Theodore Goodlander were in the middle of an ugly, high-profile divorce at the time that is still a topic of conversation in Nashua circles. The fact that Maggie Goodlander voted from an address he family didn’t live at has some people asking if she cast an illegal ballot the first time she voted.

Probably not, Secretary of State David Scanlan told NHJournal.

While Scanlan would not speculate about the specifics of Goodlander’s actions, he said New Hampshire state law allows for limited transitional gray areas when it comes to moving and voting. 

“Everybody’s situation is unique and different,” Scanlan said.

The law at the time allowed for people like college students to “domicile” in New Hampshire while actually residing in another state, according to Scanlan. Those who domiciled in the Granite State could vote in New Hampshire elections. Conversely, Granite Staters who did not domicile in New Hampshire could still claim it as their home. And they could still vote in New Hampshire elections, he said. 

“For most people domicile is black and white, it’s where they live,” Scanlan said.

The New Hampshire Supreme Court has since clarified the definition of a domicile to be closer to the definition of a residency, Scanlan said. At the same time, the law still gives leeway for people whose lives are in transition or in the process of moving.

For example, a person who sold their New Hampshire house and then traveled the country in a motorhome could still claim New Hampshire as their residency, according to Scanlan, so long as they did not establish a home anywhere else.

“They do not lose their original domicile until they establish a new one,” Scanlan said.

Under the law, a person retains their New Hampshire residency until they establish a new residency. Usually, that is done by getting a new driver’s license, or putting a child in a public school in the new location, he said.

If Goodlander in 2008 did nothing to establish a new residency somewhere else in the weeks after her parents sold the Nashua home, she could still claim it as her home for voting purposes. Goodlander left New Hampshire for college, the military, and then a career in Washington, D.C.

The Republican National Congressional Committee says, “Goodlander’s residency issues and lack of local grassroots support goes to show just how little she has to do with New Hampshire as an adult.

“The voters of NH-02 deserve someone who understands their needs, not someone who pretends to be a renter while living in D.C.,” said NRCC spokeswoman Savannah Viar.

Goodlander may be hard to track down, but the campaign checks are still finding their way to her. According to the FEC reports ending in June, she outraised all of the candidates in the race with more than $1.5 million. Her Democratic primary opponent, former Executive Councilor Colin Van Ostern, raised about $1 million.

In the GOP primary, entrepreneur Vikram Mansharamani has about $352,000 cash on hand, and frequent federal candidate Lily Tang Williams has $305,000 in the bank, $80,000 of which she loaned the campaign.

And Goodlander’s house hunting may not be over, regardless of the outcome of the NH-02 election. According to The Wall Street Journal, presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris has already made it clear she’s going to clean house on foreign policy if she takes over from President Joe Biden.

On the list of staffers who’ll be shown the door: Goodlander’s husband Jake Sullivan.

The New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office issued a cease and desist order to Nashua Mayor Jim Donchess and three fellow Democrats on the city’s board of aldermen over their use of public property to promote their side of a 2021 political debate.

The issue was Proposition 2, which would make substantial changes to the way the city’s police commission is composed.

The government property used was the city’s PEG, or public access TV channels and equipment, which the Attorney General’s Office ruled Donchess and the aldermen used to campaign for their political views.

“Following an investigation, this Office determined that each of your messages constituted electioneering because your messages were specifically designed to influence the votes of voters on Ballot Question 2,” Assistant Attorney General Brendan O’Donnell wrote in the order dated Jan. 11. 

“The Mayor of Nashua and its alderman… remain subject to the prohibition against using government property or equipment to electioneer. Accordingly, this Office orders each of you to cease and desist from using city property, including but not limited to the City’s PEG channels and cable television equipment, to electioneer.”

O’Donnell’s order is directed at Donchess and Aldermen Ben Clemmons, Michael O’Brien, and Lori Wilshire. But Donchess told NHJournal he and his fellow Democrats had every right to take to the airwaves.

“I think (the letter) ignores First Amendment issues,” Donchess said.

Laura Colquhoun, the Nashua resident who filed the complaint, said Donchess and the others clearly broke the law.

“Please understand that political people should not be using public TV stations to sell their message to residents. If it was a debate with both parties showing up, that would not be a problem. However, when you only have one side going on the TV station, that is electioneering, and that is against the law,” Colquhoun told NHJournal.

In 2021, Nashua voters were set to vote on Proposition 2, which would make substantial changes to the way the city’s police commission is composed. Nashua is one of a handful of New Hampshire municipalities where an independent commission oversees the police department.

Nashua is unique in that the three civilian members of its commission are appointed by the Governor’s Office and confirmed by the Executive Council, not by local representatives like the mayor or board of aldermen. Donchess backed Proposition 2 to take back local control of commission appointments.

Under Proposition 2, the commission would be expanded to five members, with three appointed by the mayor, and two appointed by the board. All of the appointments would require board confirmation.

Donchess used Nashua’s local cable access station to make his case for the changes, recording a 15-minute presentation that aired 25 times before the municipal election. Clemmons, Wilshire, and O’Brien recorded their own separate presentation opposing Proposition 2.

“We never intended to do anything wrong,” O’Brien told the news site InDepth NH.

Proposition 2 ended up losing at the ballot box. Colquhoun later used the presentations for her complaint. O’Donnell’s cease and desist letter acknowledges that state law includes an exemption for public officials appearing in a news or information program. It states that while the separate presentations produced and aired by the politicians were a violation, if Donchess and the aldermen participated in a debate about Proposition 2 and had that broadcast on the station, they would not be violating the law.

O’Donnell’s cease and desist letter makes no sense, Donchess said. Both he and the three aldermen have an absolute free speech right to speak on political issues of concern to Nashua citizens.

“Both I and members of the Board of Aldermen were attempting to inform the voters about what the issues were pertaining to the ballot questions,” Donchess said.

Why two separate, competing presentations are against the law, but a debate on a particular issue is OK also makes no sense, Donchess said. It would still see elected officials making their arguments for an election issue on public cable. 

“I do not see a distinction between (a debate) and the two presentations on the police commission,” Donchess said. 

Hours after Nashua’s James Morris was charged with senselessly assaulting police officers during a traffic stop, he made bail and was back on the streets.

“It’s certainly frustrating for the officers,” said Nashua Sgt. John Cinelli. 

James Morris

Morris, 32, is just one of the alleged violent offenders who have caused mayhem in recent days in incidents throughout the state, incidents abetted by New Hampshire’s reformed bail system. 

The 2018 bail reform was meant to eliminate the unintended consequence of the cash bail system that resulted in cases of poor people charged with relatively minor, nonviolent crimes but who were unable to afford bail.

People like Jeffrey Pendleton, a 26-year-old Nashua panhandler arrested in 2016 on a marijuana possession charge. Pendleton ended up in Valley Street Jail in Manchester when he couldn’t come up with the $100 cash bail. Five days later, he was found dead in his cell from a drug overdose.

But now, instead of protecting poor, nonviolent offenders, bail reform is letting people charged with violent felonies stay on the street.

Police stopped Morris’ car near School Street Friday night, and he refused to give the officers his identity before he decided to start fighting with them, according to Cinelli.

“We have no idea why he did that,” Cinelli said.

On Thursday, Concord homeless man Victor Manns, 23, allegedly stabbed two tourists on South Main Street and led officers on a prolonged manhunt. Manns’ was walking around despite being charged with assault in June and again in August in separate incidents.

Victor Manns

According to police, the couple were in their car parked in front of a business on South Main Street when Manns, wearing a mask and a hood, approached and began hitting the car. The alarmed couple got out of the car. Manns reportedly brandished his knife, threatened the pair, and then stabbed them, according to police.

Manns ran from the scene of the attack, kicking off a two-hour police search of the downtown area before he was captured.

On Friday, Claremont woman Brandie Jones, 33, allegedly hit a Nashua police officer with her car to avoid a felony arrest. At the time of the incident, Jones was wanted in Londonderry on warrants, including a breach of her previous bail in another case.

Brandie Jones

Nashua police had previously stopped Jones but gave a false name to officers as she had been convicted of being a habitual traffic offender by the state. If caught driving, habitual offenders face new felony charges.

After getting stopped for the second time on Friday night, Cinelli said Jones was getting out of her car as instructed by police when she changed her mind. With the door still open, she got back in the driver’s seat and sped off. The open car door hit one officer, Cinelli said.

Jones made it to Londonderry, where she ditched her car and ran. Londonderry Police eventually found her with the help of a police dog and took her into custody. 

Cinelli said that none of the Nashua officers suffered any serious injuries from the incidents involving Jones and Morris. The couple attacked by Manns both suffered lacerations, and one sustained minor injuries, which required a trip to the hospital. 

Cinelli said the 2018 bail reform law makes it easy for people charged with a crime to avoid jail, get back out, and re-offend. 

“When these guys are getting bail and getting out that quickly, what is going to stop (them) from doing it to more officers or civilians who don’t have the ability to defend themselves,” Cinelli said.

Jay Ruais, the Republican running to replace Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig, has been demanding changes to the state’s bail system as crime becomes a bigger problem in the Queen City. In recent weeks, two men charged in an Elm Street shooting got released on relatively low cash bail. In another incident, 10 people were arrested for being part of a street fight in the area of Auburn and Cedar Streets, where two men were stabbed. Most of those suspects were quickly released on bail.

“Violent, dangerous, and repeat offenders should never be on our streets,” Ruais said. “As mayor, I will make sure our police have the resources and tools they need to make our community more safe.”

A New Hampshire family said in a new lawsuit their daughter is one of the victims in the child sex abuse image case brought against former Democratic state Rep. Stacie Laughton and Laughton’s girlfriend, Lindsay Groves.

Both Laughton, 39, and Groves, 38, are currently held without bail on child sex abuse image charges out of state and federal courts. Groves used her position at Creative Minds daycare in Tyngsborough, Mass., to take explicit nude photos of children and text them to Laughton, according to court records.

The family also suspects their daughter was sexually abused by Groves, according to the lawsuit.

Filed in Middlesex Superior Court in Massachusetts, the lawsuit claims the New Hampshire child was the subject of sexually explicit photos Groves took while she was enrolled at Creative Minds. 

Creative Minds is owned by Maura Sheehy Costello and Erica Jussaume of Massachusetts, with daycare center branches in Dracut and Tyngsborough. Neither could be reached for comment.

According to the suit, Sheehy Costello and Jussaume allowed Groves access to the children at the daycare despite the fact that Groves was repeatedly reported for inappropriate behavior. The family is suing the business owned by Sheehy Costello and Jussaume for negligence in hiring Groves and keeping her employed despite the red flags.

“As a result of the Defendant’s neglect, the Plaintiffs have reason to believe that their daughter may have been sexually exploited by Lindsay Groves while the minor was under the care of Creative Minds,” the lawsuit states.

The family is being kept anonymous in the legal filings, with the father and mother referred to as John and Jane Doe, and the child referred to as Jane Doe. They are represented by Lowell attorney Roger Peace. Peace did not respond to a request for comment.

This is the second lawsuit brought against Creative Minds since Groves and Laughton were arrested in June.

A Massachusetts mother filed a lawsuit against Creative Minds last month alleging her young son was sexually molested by Groves at the Tyngsborough center. That lawsuit also alleges Sheehy Costello and Jussaume were told about Groves inappropriately touching children in 2018 and told she was taking explicit photos in 2022, and yet she remained on the job.

According to court records in the criminal case, Groves and Laughton exchanged approximately 10,000 text messages over the past 18 months, including numerous explicit photos of the children Groves was caring for at the facility. During one text message conversation, the pair discussed raping children, and Laughton appeared to admit having raped a child in the past.

“LAUGHTON: I was asking because I know we’ve had some back-and-forth, and I know we initially said we do nothing with kids ever again, and you said you were afraid that if we had kids if they would go back and tell the parents the same with the kids you work with.”

In the same exchange, Laughton and Groves discussed the possibility of raping children at Creative Minds.

“GROVES: I want to do it with the kids at work 

GROVES: than you can put your **** inside them

GROVES: I wasn’t being serious about the kids running back and telling their parents 

GROVES: Plus, I want to do it with kids who use to come here cause they can enjoy it 

LAUGHTON: Well, I know but you were afraid that the kids at work might tell their parents and we said we would do it if we knew we were not gonna get caught and I was just wondering like like basically you have no problem with that…”

Laughton became New Hampshire’s first transgender elected official in 2012 but is now more famous for a career of criminal exploits. Laughton, a Democratic state representative, was forced to resign shortly after the 2012 election when it was learned the erstwhile lawmaker was still on probation for a felony theft conviction. Laughton has also been charged with stalking and making bomb threats.

Laughton was reelected to a Nashua House seat in 2020 and, after winning reelection again in 2022, spent weeks in jail after being charged with stalking and harassing Groves, according to court records.

Though Laughton and Groves remain at Valley Street Jail in Manchester pending trial, Groves was recently deemed safe for release by a federal judge. The Boston Office of the United States Attorney is appealing that decision. Groves is staying locked up until the appeal is heard.

The Hudson woman who allegedly supplied former Democratic State Rep. Stacie Laughton with child sex abuse images is set to be freed from jail.

A federal judge ruled Lindsay Groves, 38, can remain out of jail pending her trial on charges of sexual exploitation of children, aiding and abetting, and distribution of child pornography so long as she meets certain conditions.

Laughton, 39, faces identical federal and state charges of distributing child sex abuse images. Laughton, who identifies as transgendered, is being held without bail in the male population at Valley Street Jail in Manchester.

A federal judge ruled last week that Groves can be released safely, meaning she would not be a danger to the community so long as she lives with her parents, has no contact with children, and does not use an iPhone or other internet-connected devices.

“Critically, however, the court finds that conditions of release can be fashioned to address this risk and reasonably assure the safety of the community,” the ruling states.

Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Boston will appeal this order. Groves will remain locked up until another judge hears the appeal and rules on the potential release. Groves is also being held at the Valley Street Jail with the female population.

Investigators said Groves used her job at Creative Minds Daycare in Tyngsborough, Mass., to access young children for the graphic photos she shared with Laughton. Court records released in the case include a text conversation with a seeming admission from Laughton that the pair had raped children in the past and planned to do it again.

Groves and Laughton were arrested last month in the child sex abuse image case, a culmination of their twisted relationship. In recent years, the pair have been involved in multiple court cases and no contact orders. One case last year landed Laughton in jail for stalking Groves right after Laughton had won re-election to the legislature. According to the court records in the stalking case, Laughton was publicly calling Groves a pedophile and using social media to amplify that accusation.

As Laughton was receiving the child sex abuse photos from Groves, the disgraced lawmaker was engaging in sexually explicit text conversations with Groves about having sex with children, according to court records. Laughton started showing other people the photos being sent by Groves last month, and texting the photos to those people, according to the complaint filed in federal court. The people who got the photos were disturbed by the images and reported the matter to the police, according to the complaint.

Laughton became New Hampshire’s first elected transgender state representative in 2012 and was praised by New Hampshire Democratic Party Chair Ray Buckley as part of the “backbone of the Granite State.”

After days of evasion — and under pressure from public officials hearing from a concerned public — Hillsborough County jail officials confirmed to NHJournal Thursday that former Democratic state Rep. Stacie Marie Laughton is being “housed in a male unit.”

The information was released the same day Laughton — a biological male who identifies as a woman — was indicted on new federal charges in a child daycare pornography case. The graphic details of the alleged crimes — involving children under the age of five — have left many in the Granite State stunned.

On Thursday, a grand jury handed up indictments against Laughton, 39, and lover Lindsay Groves, 38, on three counts each of sexual exploitation of children. Groves is also charged with one count of distributing child pornography.

Laughton additionally faces state charges of distributing child sex abuse images. The pair have been held in jail since their arrests last month.

After refusing for days to disclose where accused child pornographer Laughton is being held, Hillsborough County Department of Corrections Superintendent Joseph Costanzo relented and confirmed New Hampshire’s first transgender elected representative is being housed with other men.

“The individual you are seeking information on is housed in a male unit in accordance with PREA standard 115.42(c) & (e). The specific location and housing unit and cell assignment will not be disclosed to protect the safety of all individuals and the security of the institution,” Costanzo told NHJournal via email.

Laughton is listed as a biological male on the jail intake forms.

CLICK HERE FOR A FULL TIMELINE OF LAUGHTON’S CRIMINAL ACTIVITY, RECORD AS NH HOUSE DEM

Both Groves and Laughton are being held at Valley Street Jail in Manchester. Costanzo initially told NHJournal it was his policy not to disclose that information, claiming it was not a matter of public record. However, he could not cite any specific written policy or law prohibiting public disclosure.

The Prison Rape Elimination Act, or PREA, policies Costanzo cites deal with screening transgender and intersex inmates for housing assignments.

“(c) In deciding whether to assign a transgender or intersex inmate to a facility for male or female inmates and in making other housing and programming assignments, the agency shall consider on a case-by-case basis whether a placement would ensure the inmate’s health and safety and whether the placement would present management or security problems.”

And:

“(e) A transgender or intersex inmate’s own views with respect to his or her own safety shall be given serious consideration.”

State Rep. Kathrine Prudhomme O’Brien (R-Derry), who was among those pushing Costanzo to disclose Laughton’s housing gender assignment, said Laughton being kept with biological men is a victory for public safety.

“The safety of female inmates is important, and there shouldn’t be loopholes that could be taken advantage of that make them more vulnerable. I’m pleased to learn Laughton is housed appropriately,” Prudhomme O’Brien said.

Laughton has been in long-term relationships with biological women like his wife, Lisa Laughton, and Groves.

Laughton made national news in 2012 by becoming the first elected transgender member of the New Hampshire legislature, winning accolades from New Hampshire Democratic Party chairman Ray Buckley — despite the Democrat’s criminal history. After years of run-ins with the law, Laughton was still on a suspended sentence for a 2008 felony credit card fraud conviction under his original name, Barry Laughton, when Democrats endorsed him for the state House.

Laughton’s tangled criminal and political career also includes making a bomb threat at Southern New Hampshire Medical Center and stalking Groves.

According to a statement released Thursday, Groves worked at Creative Minds located in Tyngsborough, Mass. It is alleged that, between May 2022 and June 2023, Groves took nude images of children at the daycare and sent the photos to Laughton.

The pair engaged in graphic text conversations in which they discussed child rape. At one point, Laughton appears to admit to having raped a child in the past. Groves is accused in a civil lawsuit of molesting children at the daycare.

The investigation remains ongoing.

Stacie Laughton is a convicted sexual predator who stalked a woman and is now accused of heinous crimes against children. Is the former Democratic state representative now incarcerated with women? One GOP House member who served with Laughton is trying to find out.

The placement of transgender inmates, like former Democratic Rep. Stacie Laughton, in New Hampshire jails is up to individual jail administrators as well as the specific medical status of the inmate.

Laughton is currently being held without bail in Valley Street Jail in Manchester for alleged trafficking in child sex abuse images supplied by Laughton’s lover, Lindsay Groves. According to reports, Groves and Laughton are currently jailed at Valley Street pending their trials. 

Valley Street’s superintendent, Joseph Costanzo, did not respond to a request for comment on Laughton’s placement. 

However, Rep. Katherine Prudhomme O’Brien (R-Derry) told NHJournal she had concerns about the safety of women who might be incarcerated with an alleged sexual predator like Laughton, saying she had reached out to the superintendent.

“The superintendent reiterated to me that he can’t tell me where they both are housed and that it’s a security concern,” O’Brien said. “He only shared that they are following federal guidelines of The Prison Rape Elimination Act regarding intersex, binary and trans inmates.

“I am not happy with this lack of information as I do think this is a safety concern for female inmates,” O’Brien added. “Or maybe I should say ‘guests’ as a corrections officer in the state prison told me that’s the new term.”

New Hampshire’s Department of Corrections does not automatically house transgender women in the female population or transgender men in the male population. Hillsborough County Jail is unaccredited and does not follow published guidelines for housing transgender inmates.

In New Hampshire, decisions on transgender inmate housing are generally made on a case-by-case basis. The placement of those individuals tends to correspond with biological sex unless the individual is far along in treatment for a medical sex change, though there are exemptions to allow transgender-identifying individuals to be housed with the gender of their preference despite a lack of medical transition progression.

A legislative effort to tighten up the exemptions for incarcerated people,  HB 1180, “Relative to State Recognition of Biological Sex,” failed last year. The bill would have allowed the Department of Corrections to keep transgender individuals housed with members of their biological sex. Laughton missed the House vote to table the bill in March of last year.

Laughton, born Barry Laughton, has been identifying as Stacie Laughton since at least 2012 when Laughton became the state’s first elected transgender lawmaker. It was not clear how far Laughton’s medical transition had progressed. Laughton appears to be balding with many masculine features, though the convicted felon wears makeup and clothing traditionally identified with women. 

Laughton was married for many years to Lisa Laughton, the alleged co-conspirator in the 2008 fraud case that resulted in the felony conviction that temporarily derailed Laughton’s political career. Laughton has also conducted a long-term sexual relationship with Groves. Both Groves and Lisa Laughton are biological women. 

Laughton and Groves were both arrested last month in the child sex abuse image case. Groves allegedly used her position at Massachusetts daycare facility, Creative Minds in Tyngsborough, to take explicit photos of young children. Groves would then text the images to Laughton.

Laughton and Groves shared approximately 10,000 text messages, at times engaging in graphic discussions about raping children. At one point, Laughton seemingly admitted to past child rape in one conversation, according to court records.

A civil lawsuit filed in Massachusetts alleges Groves herself molested children at the daycare, as well as taking the photos.

Groves and Laughton are facing federal charges connected to the case. Laughton is facing state charges as well.