The nation’s first elected transgender politician, who previously served as a state representative in the New Hampshire legislature, has been arrested on charges of distributing child pornography.
Stacie-Marie Laughton, a biological man who lives as a woman, was elected in 2012, but was unable to serve after it emerged that she had a criminal past in which she was sentenced to probation for a 2008 felony conviction for credit card fraud. .
On Thursday, Laughton, 39, was arrested again and faces four counts of distributing sexually explicit images of children depicting child sexual abuse.
The Nashua Police Department began investigating the allegations after receiving a tip.
Laughton allegedly obtained images of young children attending a daycare in Tyngsboro, Massachusetts, 35 miles northwest of Boston.
Stacey-Marie Laughton, 39, who previously served as a New Hampshire state representative, was arrested on charges of distributing child porn.
Laughton, a former Democrat representative who is transgender, has a lengthy criminal history dating back to 2002.
Detectives then looked into the allegations and Laughton was promptly arrested.
‘They spoke with reporting parties who indicated that Laughton had distributed sexually suggestive images of children,’ Sgt. John Cinelli of the Nashua Police Department.
‘Detectives from the Special Investigation Division were tasked with taking the investigation further. They applied for Laughton’s arrest and the warrant was granted.’
According to charging documents seen by the union leader, Laughton was accused of having an intimate relationship with Lindsey Groves, an employee of Creative Minds Early Learning Center in Tyngsboro.
The documents do not specifically say that Laughton is the person but Laughton’s social media posts suggest the pair were in a relationship together.
Laughton, a former Democrat representative, has faced multiple allegations over the years
Laughton now faces four counts of distributing child sexual abuse images allegedly taken at a local children’s daycare.
Lindsay Groves, Dunn, a daycare worker in Tyngsboro, was also arrested. She was previously in a close relationship with Laughton, seen at left
Groves, pictured, who was also arrested, allegedly took nude photos of children at the daycare and sent them to Laughton.
Groves, who was also arrested, allegedly took nude photos of children at the daycare and sent them to Laughton.
According to the affidavit, Groves ‘allegedly used natural bathroom breaks for the children,’ such as ‘routine diaper pull-up changes before naptime … to take multiple photos of prepubertal children in a private bathroom and then send the photos to (former intimate partners) via text message.’ A complaint with 2,500 texts.
Laughton, a former Democrat representative, has faced multiple allegations over the years.
His lengthy criminal history dates back to 2002, when he was arrested that year for domestic violence/criminal mischief and in 2003 for sexually assaulting a woman.
In 2015, he was arrested for making a bomb threat against Southern New Hampshire Medical Center.
In 2021, he was arrested again for abusing the state’s 911 texting system.
Despite his criminal past, Laughton still ran for a second term in 2022 and was elected to represent Nashua, New Hampshire.
On Thursday, Laughton, 39, was arrested again and faces four counts of distributing sexually explicit images depicting child sexual abuse.
Laughton attributed his past criminal behavior to mental illness and untreated conditions.
Despite his criminal past, Laughton still ran for a second term in 2022 and was elected to represent Nashua, New Hampshire.
However, once again, he could not go to office after serving jail time on charges of stalking.
Laughton attributed his past criminal behavior to mental illness and untreated conditions.
He expressed remorse and said their actions were completely out of character.
‘I’ve had a mental illness my whole life, and I guess this was the worst break I’ve ever had. I was untreated for a long time, and I didn’t have medication,’ Laughton shared in an interview with a New Hampshire union leader after being arrested for making a bomb threat.
‘I wasn’t trying to hurt anyone, and it was out of character for me. I’ve put a lot behind me, and I never in a million years thought I’d do it.’
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