BY MICHELLE KIM
The man who attacked the 17-year-old boyfriend of his 15-year-old daughter after learning the two had sex was arraigned and charged with a simple assault, Class B felony, in Goffstown District Court Tuesday, Oct. 16. The boyfriend was charged as an adult with a Class A misdemeanor on Oct. 9, according to Weare police.
The 38-year-old Weare man appeared in court with his wife and son but had no legal representation.
Answering the judge in soft, single word answers, he responded that he understood the terms.
Because he faced a felony charge, no plea was taken. A simple assault, Class B felony carries a maximum charge of 3.5 to 5 years in prison and $4,000 in fines. The man posted a personal recognizance bail of $500, which required him to have no contact with the daughter’s boyfriend, who lives in Henniker.
When asked by a reporter whether he would handle the situation in the same way again, given the chance, the father replied “No comment.”
The 17-year-old, a student at John Stark Regional High School, was released on a $5,000 personal recognizance bail, according to Weare police.
As a 17-year-old in a criminal case, he is automatically treated as an adult, said Detective Lou Chatel, and is charged with a misdemeanor in accordance with state law because he is less than three years older than the girl.
Also by state law, consent cannot be given below the age of 16.
If convicted, the teen could face up to one year in prison and a fine of up to $5,000. He would not need to register as a sex offender but he would be required to list the misdemeanor on school and job applications for three years, after which he could petition the court to have it removed from his record, said Chatel.
The teen and his girlfriend admitted to leaving school the morning of Sept. 10 and having sex at a parent’s house. School officials noticed the girl’s absence and notified her parents after she failed to respond to a school-wide page. His mother also told police the two may have gone to his Weare residence, according to court documents. The students later returned to school through separate entrances.
The mother of the girl told police around 1 p.m. she wanted to file a report that her daughter had been raped and was advised to take her daughter for a medical examination and to return to the station for an interview.
At approximately 2:50 p.m., the girl’s father called police to inquire about the case. Ten minutes later, he assaulted the 17-year-old in the parking lot of the school as he was picking up his other children. The boyfriend suffered bruises and cuts that required two stitches to his face. The father was arrested without struggle and charged with simple assault Class B felony because of the extent of the injuries, said Chatel.
The teen had permission to leave school grounds, but the girl did not and she was given an in-school Saturday suspension for her unexcused absence. After the incident, she and her siblings transferred to another school.
A restraining order was taken out in the daughter’s name against the teen on Sept 21.
The couple had known each other since last June and had been seeing each other covertly because her parents did not allow her to date, according to the affidavit filed with court documents.
Prosecutor Lt. Mark Bodanza said the Weare Police Department had seen quite a few sexual assault investigations this year, where parents discovered teen couples had had sex. “But not to the extent where the father attacked the boy,” Bodanza said.
“The key here is that, although disturbing to the parent, they can’t take the law into their own hands,” said Chatel. “It just further traumatized the family.”
The teen is scheduled to go to trial Nov. 27 in Goffstown District Court.
The father is due to appear for a probable cause hearing Nov. 6 in Goffstown District Court.