New Hampshire Sex Offender Accused Of Failing To Register; Missing For 7 Months

CONCORD, NH — The New Hampshire Department of Corrections is asking for the public’s help finding a sex offender accused of failing to register with police.

Paul James Laplante is 38, white, about 5 feet, 6 inches tall, and weighs around 160 pounds. He has blue eyes and brown hair. According to officials, he sometimes uses the alias “Paul Laplante.” An alert stated he had a scar on his right kneecap, a surgery scar on his left wrist, and a surgery scar on his lower left back.

Laplante was released on probation after being convicted on indecent exposure and lewdness charges in Sullivan County. He was last known to be living in Keene.

“Laplante then,” officials said, “absconded from probation, and his current whereabouts are unknown.”

Keene police issued a warrant against him in October 2023, while the Sullivan County Superior Court issued a probation violation warrant against him in November 2023. Laplante has ties to the Springfield, Vermont area, the Erving, Massachusetts area, and communities in Cheshire and Sullivan counties in New Hampshire.

According to superior court records, the case involved two incidents in January 2018 in Claremont. Charges were brought against him in November 2019. He pleaded guilty to both charges a year later and was sentenced to state prison for 12 months on one count with three years probation and two to four years, all suspended, for three years, on the second count.

Laplante violated probation in July 2022 and pleaded guilty to one count a few months later. He was sentenced to six months in prison with 16 days credit.

According to the court, the case was reopened in November 2023, and a warrant was issued for his arrest.

If you know where Laplante is, contact corrections at 603-271-1804, the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office at 603-542-9538, or the police.