Former lawmaker, day care worker accused in child sex abuse images case
By Veronica Haynes, Shaun Ganley
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MASSACHUSETTS (WCVB) — A former New Hampshire lawmaker and a day care worker have been charged after one of them allegedly took sexually explicit images of children at a Massachusetts day care and sent them to a romantic partner, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Stacie Laughton, 39, of Derry, New Hampshire, was arrested on a felony arrest warrant charging Laughton with the distribution of child sexual abuse images. She was also charged with three additional counts of distribution of child sexual abuse images.
Laughton, who is a former state lawmaker, waived her court appearance in Hillsborough Superior Court on Friday and was held on bail.
Lindsay Groves, 38, of Hudson, New Hampshire, an employee at a day care in Massachusetts, waived her appearance at her arraignment Thursday in Hillsborough Superior Court.
Federal court documents unsealed Thursday afternoon show Groves is facing additional charges of sexual exploitation of children and distribution of child pornography.
An affidavit shows that Groves was working at Creative Minds day care in Tyngsborough and that, according to the affidavit, Groves admitted to taking nude pictures of children at the center in 2022 and 2023 and sending them to a romantic partner.
Groves said she took the photos with her cell phone during the kids’ bathroom breaks, according to the affidavit. A preliminary forensic review of her cell phone revealed more than 2,500 text messages between Groves and her now-former partner, including at least four sexually explicit images of children who appear to be between 3 and 5 years old.
The Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care said the day care had voluntarily closed and declined further comment, citing an open investigation. The president of the day care, which also has locations in Dracut, did not respond to messages.
“Creative Minds Early Education is cooperating fully with law enforcement to ensure a complete and extensive investigation into the allegations regarding a single former staff member,” a written statement from attorney George Panas said.
“We want to ensure our families that their children’s safety and privacy is of the utmost importance. We will make every effort to support all of our families during this difficult time,” the statement read.
But parents are angry that the school is offering little information about what has happened with their children.
“We didn’t even get notified, the families being affected by these allegations. We haven’t gotten the sympathy, the support — even from the director who has been with my kids every single day,” said parent Savannah Diaz.
The written statement said that members of the public who have questions, concerns or information should call 617-748-3274.
After her hearing in New Hampshire, Groves was ordered held without bail and was ordered not to work in child care, not to access the internet, and not to have unsupervised contact with anyone under the age of 18, according to court documents. She was also ordered not to have contact with anyone from Creative Minds.
The prosecutor and defense attorney both declined to comment, as did a man at her home.
New details are emerging about the connection between the two women. According to a police affidavit in 2021, Laughton referred to Groves as her wife. In 2022, documents show that Laughton was charged with violating an active stalking protection order involving Groves.
In 2012, Laughton was believed to be the first transgender person elected to a state legislature, but she never took her seat, resigning after reports of a prior felony conviction raised questions about her legal ability to serve.
Laughton served in the New Hampshire House of Representatives from 2020 to 2022 before resigning.
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