BRENTWOOD, N.H. (AP) — A New Hampshire jury awarded $38 million to the man who blew the lid off abuse allegations at the state’s youth detention center Friday, in a landmark case finding the state’s negligence allowed him to be beaten, raped and held in solitary confinement as a teen.

David Meehan went to police in 2017 and sued the state three years later. Since then, 11 former state workers have been arrested and more than 1,100 other former residents of the Youth Development Center in Manchester have filed lawsuits alleging physical, sexual and emotional abuse spanning six decades.

Meehan’s case was the first to go to trial, and the outcome could affect the criminal cases, the remaining lawsuits, and a separate settlement fund the state created as an alternative to litigation.

Over the course of the four-week trial, the state argued it was not liable for the conduct of “rogue” employees and that Meehan waited too long to sue. The defense also tried to undermine his credibility and said his case relied on “conjecture and speculation with a lot of inuendo mixed in.”

“Conspiracy theories are not a substitute for actual evidence,” attorney Martha Gaythwaite said in her closing statement Thursday.

Meehan’s attorneys accused the state of encouraging a culture of abuse marked by pervasive brutality, corruption and a code of silence.

“They still don’t get it,” David Vicinanzo said in his closing statement. “They don’t understand the power they had, they don’t understand how they abused their power and they don’t care.”

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It’s easy to get there. The trailhead is a stone’s throw off of I-93 and just a few miles down the road from Waterville Valley Resort, but you still feel immersed in nature.

The hike starts in a beautiful hardwood forest before opening up to the first stone ledge, where the views begin in earnest. There are tons of photo opps along the way. Then, you’re hiking on exposed rock, home to all kinds of lichen and other sensitive alpine species. There are some fun rock scrambles on this segment of the trail — nothing too crazy, but it keeps things interesting. Between peak one and peak two, you drop into an enchanted evergreen forest, and then you’re up on another long spiny rock ridge, before dropping back down into hardwood forest below.

AMANDA GOKEE

Down on the farm

Beech Hill Farm is a great place to get a scoop of ice cream during the warmer months of the year, while checking out the barnyard animals that live there. The farm is on a picturesque hillside in Hopkinton that’s also home to calves, piglets, lambs, baby goats, donkeys, chickens, ducks, and rabbits. It feels like a real farm and smells like one too. The ice cream is delicious — 75 flavors that are all made in New England.

There’s also a walking path on the grounds. A one-mile trail passes one of the northernmost stands of Giant Rhododendron in New Hampshire, a flowering evergreen shrub, and a corn maze in the fall. And if you’re still hungry, the farm sells pasture-raised beef, pork, maple syrup, and eggs, as well.

The farm is now owned by Robert and Donna Kimball, and it’s been in their family for nine generations, which makes it one of the longest-running family-owned and operated farms, according to the family. And the next generation is already continuing that legacy: Nate Kimball is working with his grandparents to help operate the farm, after getting his degree from the University of New Hampshire in Integrated Agriculture and Business Management.

The homestead was originally built in 1800 and was renovated in the 1990s to make space for events, the ice cream barn, and other visitor areas.

AMANDA GOKEE

Tour the State House

If you find yourself with weekday free time in Concord, swing by the gold-domed State House for a tour. Wander the halls yourself, or see if Virginia Drew in the first-floor visitor center can set you up with an expert guide.

The grounds outside are dotted with historic statues and markers, and the halls inside display more than 100 battle flags, plus massive portraits and murals at every turn. But the building is more than a museum: It’s the nation’s oldest State House in continuous use — and there is a lot going on.

All under one roof, visitors can see the House and Senate, Governor and Executive Council, and Secretary of State’s office, where candidates add their names to the presidential primary ballot every four years.

The two centuries of history that plaster the State House walls serve as backdrop for the history that continues to be written there everyday. Yet there is something delightfully mundane and accessible about the whole experience.

I once saw a family from Texas take a guided tour on a whim. They paused outside Governor Chris Sununu’s office and got a personal greeting. “Hi, I’m Chris,” the state’s chief executive said to them, stopping for a quick photo under a portrait of his father, former Governor John H. Sununu.

My parents didn’t meet any Sununus on our guided tour last year, but we had a blast learning about civics and history. To make the most out of your visit, I’d suggest calling the visitor center, 603-271-2154, ahead of time since Drew’s team juggles school tours as well.

STEVEN PORTER

Sip local wines

My in-laws absolutely loved sampling locally made fruit wines, meads, and ciders at Hermit Woods Winery & Eatery on Meredith’s Main Street when we explored the Lakes Region last fall. We went for the guided tasting of seven 1-ounce pours paired with cheeses and chocolate, then stayed for lunch as well.

I’m not the biggest fan of sweet wines, so I was relieved to find some samples to be pleasantly complex. Their blueberry wine, for example, drinks like a jammy red. I’ve given away a few bottles as gifts (and kept a few more for myself).

You can often find popular Hermit Woods products at New Hampshire Liquor & Wine Outlet locations throughout the state — including their refreshing sparkling hard cranberry apple cider — but the in-person experience in Meredith offers more variety, with indoor and outdoor spaces that invite visitors to linger. So it’s well worth stopping in.

New Hampshire has more than 40 wineries and distilleries statewide, plus more than 100 breweries, so check the state’s travel and tourism website and the Brew NH beer map to see what tasting rooms are nearby.

STEVEN PORTER

Amanda Gokee can be reached at amanda.gokee@globe.com. Follow her @amanda_gokee. Steven Porter can be reached at steven.porter@globe.com. Follow him @reporterporter.

NASHUA, NH — A woman from Nashua with a 15 year history of crime and active drug dealing, possession, and other charges was arrested recently by police accused of participating in a burglary on Temple Street.

On April 19, police were sent to an apartment on Temple Street near Temple Place for a report of an armed robbery and burglary. Police spoke to the victim, who said several people known to her “forced their way into her apartment, threatened her with a box cutter, and assaulted her,” according to Sgt. John Cinelli, the public information officer and communications division supervisor of the Nashua Police Department.

Detectives began working on the case. After eyeing surveillance video and interviewing witnesses and suspects, Kailey Rowley, 31, of Temple Street, a couple of blocks away from the incident, was identified as “an involved participant,” Cinelli said. A warrant was issued for her arrest on a criminal liability charge. She was arrested on April 25 and held without bail.

“At the time of Rowley’s arrest,” Cinelli said, “she had several other outstanding arrest warrants,” including theft, sale of a controlled drug, and falsifying physical evidence charges, all felonies.

Rowley was arraigned in Nashua District Court on April 26.

According to superior court records and reports on Patch, Rowley is no stranger to police, with a criminal history dating back close to 15 years.

Rowley was accused of falsifying physical evidence and evidence-criminal liability for the conduct of another three times in 2009 in Concord. Most of the charges were nolle prossed and she did forfeit $831.88 in January 2012 as part of the case.

While living in Franklin, in September 2017, she was accused of acts prohibited and controlled drug: controlled premises where drugs kept after police tracked online sex ads and calls for service to a home several months before. Investigators alleged there had been more than 40 calls to the home for drug overdoses, prostitution , assaults, wanted subjects, noise complaints, and multiple calls from neighborhood residents reporting possible drug activity. About a year later, she pleaded guilty to the controlled premises charge, receiving a 12 month sentence, suspended for two years.

In February 2021, she was arrested on acts prohibited and driving after revocation or suspension charges in Nashua. She failed to appear at the arraignment in March 2021 but, ultimately, the charges were nolle prossed in April 2021.

In Nashua, in late December 2022, she was arrested on a theft by unauthorized taking charge, a felony due to two prior convictions, after an incident at Kohl’s. Rowley was convicted of theft in Franklin District Court in May 2016 and Concord District Court in August 2016. Rowley was released on $200 cash bail. She failed to appear at a plea and sentencing hearing in September 2023 as well as review hearings on Jan. 5, Jan. 18, and Feb. 29. A warrant was issued for her arrest on April 29. A status conference is booked for May 29.

Four felony sale of a controlled drug charges followed in April 2023 after incidents in January, February, and April 2023 in Nashua. She was indicted later in the case, and it is also still active. Rowley failed to appear at a dispositional conference hearing in Hillsborough County Superior Court South in September 2023. She also failed to appear at review hearings on Ja. 5, Jan. 18, Feb. 22, and Feb. 29. A bail hearing was held on April 29, and she was held on preventative detention. A status conference is booked for May 29.

Rowley is also facing drug possession, contraband, falsifying physical evidence, two delivery of weapon, and two breach of bail charges out of Manchester after an incident mid-December 2023. She failed to appear at an arraignment and bail hearing in Hillsborough County Superior Court North on March 15. Rowley was arraigned on May 1 and held on $25,000 cash bail.

Anyone with information about the case was asked to contact Nashua police at 603-589-1665.

Do you have a news tip? Please email it to tony.schinella@patch.com. View videos on Tony Schinella’s YouTube.com channel or Rumble.com channel. Follow the NH politics Twitter account @NHPatchPolitics for all our campaign coverage.