New Hampshire
Ten women allege female corrections officer in N.H. sexually assaulted, harassed them – The Boston Globe
CONCORD, N.H. — Ten women who allege they were subjected to sexually inappropriate behavior while in the custody of the New Hampshire Department of Corrections are suing a former corrections officer and the state.
The plaintiffs, who are identified in court records by pseudonyms, accuse officer Deborah J. Steele of violating their constitutional rights by taking invasive and unwarranted actions during roll calls, pat-downs, and urine testing at various times between 2003 and 2021 at the DOC’s Shea Farm, a transitional housing unit in Concord for women preparing for their full release from state custody.
The 10 lawsuits, which were filed separately Friday and Monday in Merrimack County Superior Court, allege that Steele invaded the plaintiffs’ privacy by requiring them to expose their nude bodies to her in situations when doing so was unnecessary and inconsistent with the practice of other officers.
One plaintiff alleges Steele looked in her direction and “made a lustful ‘cat call’ like sound” when she accidentally dropped a towel and partially exposed her body after a shower.
During pat-down searches, residents of Shea Farm were required to disrobe to their undergarments so corrections officers could determine whether they had any hidden contraband. Steele would sometimes require plaintiffs to undress completely, according to the lawsuits.
While officers are allowed to use the back of their hand to search sensitive areas during a pat-down, Steele would typically use the palm and front of her hand to rub the plaintiffs’ thighs, “often” touched their genitals with her finger or thumb, and “frequently” cupped their breasts with her hands, according to the lawsuits.
“No other corrections officers at Shea Farm conducted body pat searches … using the same method as Officer Steele,” one lawsuit states.
Steele is also accused of taking a particularly invasive approach during random drug screenings. While observing a resident urinate into a collection container, she “often” placed her face within 2 feet of their genitals, sometimes so close that residents could feel her breath, according to the lawsuits.
The plaintiff whose lawsuit recounted the alleged “cat call” incident also alleges that Steele used her fingers intentionally to penetrate the plaintiff’s vaginal opening in 2011 while removing a permanent piercing ring. Afterward, she allegedly “walked away giggling.”
Steele has not yet responded to the allegations against her. Efforts to reach her for comment on Wednesday were unsuccessful.
The lawsuits claim the DOC is liable for Steele’s alleged conduct, and they allege the department was negligent in training and supervising its employees.
The lawsuits allege that plaintiffs complained about Steele’s behavior and wrote grievances but were ignored or otherwise disregarded. They allege an inmate at Shea Farm filed a formal grievance against Steele in or around March 2022 that triggered an investigation under the Prison Rape Elimination Act, or PREA.
The lawsuits said Steele was a DOC employee from 1996 until 2021. A spokesperson for the DOC declined Wednesday to comment on personnel matters, including the nature and timing of Steele’s departure.
The spokesperson said the DOC doesn’t tolerate sexual harassment or abuse; that staffers, contractors, and volunteers receive annual training on their responsibilities under DOC policy and the PREA; and that the DOC audits facilities for compliance with PREA standards.
“All allegations of misconduct are taken with the seriousness that they deserve and are thoroughly investigated by a highly trained team of investigators,” the spokesperson said. “When warranted, swift action is taken by the department to address all founded matters of misconduct, including but not limited to sexual abuse, battery, and harassment, and is done in consultation with the NH Department of Justice.”
The DOC spokesperson referred questions about the lawsuits to the New Hampshire Department of Justice. A DOJ spokesperson declined to comment on pending litigation and said attorneys for the state will respond in court after reviewing the filings.
An attorney for the plaintiffs, Brittany L. LeTourneau of the Nicholson Law Firm in Concord, said the DOC either knew or should have known that these women were being victimized and could have prevented the harm from happening.
“We hope the civil process promotes change within Department of Corrections to protect New Hampshire’s incarcerated women from sexual assaults and harassment,” she said, “and that this process results in accountability for the harm done to them.”
Steven Porter can be reached at steven.porter@globe.com. Follow him @reporterporter.
New Hampshire
Massachusetts man in burning car rescued by trooper on N.H. Gov. Kelly Ayotte’s security detail
A Bay State man who was trapped in his vehicle after crashing into a toll plaza was rescued by a trooper who’s on New Hampshire Gov. Kelly Ayotte’s security detail, according to police.
The governor also helped at the chaotic scene, police said, as the group helped the seriously injured 51-year-old man from Massachusetts at the Bedford Toll Plaza on the F.E. Everett Turnpike.
The state trooper assigned to the governor’s security detail helped pull the driver from his burning vehicle. The driver has been identified as Yevgeny Mirman.
At 11:55 a.m. on Tuesday, troopers assigned to the Troop B barracks responded to the single-vehicle crash involving a 2026 Lucid Gravity that struck the toll plaza. 911 callers said the vehicle had caught fire, and someone in the vehicle appeared to be trapped.
While units were responding, a veteran trooper assigned to Ayotte’s security detail came upon the crash, saw that the vehicle was actively on fire, and spotted the driver inside the car.
The trooper then pulled the driver from the burning car through a window. Ayotte, along with other witnesses at the scene, provided assistance to the trooper.
Mirman was transported by ambulance to an area hospital with serious injuries. The name of the trooper is being withheld due to the nature of their position.
“Certainly, their actions were heroic in what they did,” Colonel Mark B. Hall said in a statement. “Without hesitation, they put themselves in danger to render aid to someone who was in need of it.”
Troop B was assisted by members of the New Hampshire Department of Transportation, Bedford Fire Department, Litchfield Fire Rescue and Merrimack Fire Rescue.
No charges were immediately filed. However, all aspects of the crash remained under investigation.
Anyone with information that may help the ongoing investigation was asked to contact Trooper Nathan Belanger at Nathan.R.Belanger@dos.nh.gov.
New Hampshire
Texting and driving? Lawmakers want you to pay steeper fines – Monadnock Ledger-Transcript
If you use your cell phone while driving, you may want to think twice — unless you’re willing to pay twice as much.
A bipartisan bill, backed by state law enforcement, would institute higher fines for drivers who use handheld devices behind the wheel. In some cases, motorists could lose their licenses for a month or more.
Sen. Donovan Fenton, a Democrat from Keene who serves on Gov. Kelly Ayotte’s Highway Safety Task Force, pointed to state crash data as reason for the change proposed in his Senate Bill 649
The number of traffic deaths in New Hampshire has crept up over the past few years. In 2023, there were 127 fatalities, at least six of which stemmed from distracted driving, Fenton said.
“Distracted driving is becoming more pronounced, more dangerous and more deadly,” he said at a public hearing last week. “The current penalties are not enough to change behavior, particularly with repeat offenses.”
There were 133 traffic deaths in 2024 and 138 in 2025, according to the Office of Highway Safety. In 2026 so far, thirteen people have died in car crashes.
Fenton’s bill would increase the amount someone has to pay for violating the prohibition on cell phone use while driving. First-time offenders would pay $250 instead of the current $100, and on the second violation in two years, the offender would pay $500. For the third offense in two years, they would pay $750 and lose their license for 30 days. All those penalties could increase if cell phone use behind the wheel is found to be a contributing factor in a car crash.
Current law allows hands-free operation of a cell phone via Bluetooth but prohibits handheld device use. The state collected more than $568,000 in related fines and penalty assessments in the most recent fiscal year.
Distracted driving was a contributing factor in 4,520 of the state’s nearly 28,000 non-fatal crashes in 2023, according to the Department of Safety. That’s a little over 16%, though a report from the task force said officials suspect distracted driving is difficult to track and underreported in more serious collisions. Cell phones are a common culprit in distracted driving.
Ayotte’s task force has highlighted other policies that it says would increase public safety, including doubling the license suspension period for refusing a breathalyzer test.
In the first 10 weeks of 2026, three-quarters of the people arrested for impaired driving in New Hampshire refused to take a breath alcohol test, Ayotte said in a recent press release. The governor has waged a public campaign for the proposed law, Senate Bill 260, which she says would disincentivize drivers from refusing the test.
What’s next: Senate Bill 649 breezed through the Senate earlier this year. The House of Representatives is set to vote on it in the coming weeks after a committee recommended its passage almost unanimously.
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