Graphic Content Warning: Discussion of Child Sexual Abuse.
A former Democrat New Hampshire State Representative has been charged with the sexual exploitation of children involving victims between the ages of 3 and 5 years of age. Stacie Marie Laughton, born Barry Charles Laughton Jr., once made headlines for being the first openly transgender person to serve as a state representative in the United States.
According to pro-woman outlet Reduxx, Laughton was first elected in 2012 but was forced to withdraw for prior criminal convictions relating to “identity and credit card fraud and falsifying physical evidence.”
Despite being ineligible to hold public office at the time, Laughton attempted to run again but was prohibited by New Hampshire officials. Seven years later, he was permitted to seek re-election after completing the remainder of his probation and paying $2,000 in damages. He secured his former selectman seat, and would go on to serve in that role three more times. In 2020, was elected as a state representative, and won the seat again in 2022.
But less than one month after his most recent election, Laughton resigned after it became public knowledge that he had violated the conditions of a previous restraining order by stalking an unidentified woman. Laughton was arrested by Nashua police on November 12, 2022, for the violation.
According to Lt. Roger Lamarche of the Hudson Police Department, Laughton had been accused of stalking and harassing the same female victim twice before.
In June, Laughton was arrested for the possession of child pornography — but disturbing new details have come to light as the US Attorney for the District of Massachusetts has now handed down child sexual exploitation charges.
As Reduxx reports, Laughton and his former partner, Lindsay Groves, worked together to photograph children’s genitals in the bathroom of a daycare Groves worked at in Tyngsborough, Massachusetts.
Groves has been employed at Creative Minds Early Learning Center since 2017, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, where she allegedly used her access to the children to provide sexually explicit content to Laughton. It is alleged that the daycare had known for years that Groves had been inappropriate with the children, but taken no action against her.
News of the allegations against Laughton and Groves, coupled with the daycare’s negligence, prompted the mother of one of the victims to file a civil lawsuit against Creative Minds Early Learning Center.
As reported by the Boston Herald, the complaint was filed Monday with Middlesex Superior Court. The suit argues that the toddler victim “will continue to suffer severe and significant physical and emotional injuries; embarrassment, and emotional distress; incur medical and therapeutic bills for his care and attendance; and was otherwise injured.”
An affidavit also revealed that the pair had exchanged over 10,000 messages, several of which were sent between May and June of this year and featured images of a three-year-old boy and girl with their genitals exposed.
Describing a photograph of a three-year-old girl, Groves said: “I took these for you today so I’m horny.”
Laughton replied: “I like that I would like to see more of the pussy but I like that it[’s] fucking hot … Is that one of the girls we get to play with[?]”
In another discussion, after a back-and-forth including sick fantasies about the disturbing pictures, Laughton, who became an ordained minister earlier this year, asked Groves if their pedophilia will impact their relationship with God:
“And I’m sorry I talk so much but the other thing I think about is do you think God is OK with us being bad girls[?]” Adding that, “[some people] say having sex with kids is a bad thing and God never addresses sex with children in the Bible and God never really condemns say different sexual lifestyles but what do you think? Do you think we still have a place in heaven? Do you think God would still be OK with me being a minister[?]”
As Reduxx previously reported in June, Laughton delivered his first sermon on YouTube earlier this year, and claims to identify with Buddhism, Methodism, New Age, Oneness Pentecostalism, Pentecostalism, Protestantism, Rastafarianism, Spiritualism, Tibetan Buddhism, Unitarian Universalism, and the Universal Life Church.
On July 18, Laughton was “charged by complaint with Sexual Exploitation of Children (and Aiding and Abetting),” according to the U.S. District Attorney’s Office District of Massachusetts, and will have an initial appearance at the John Joseph Moakley federal courthouse in Boston, where charges will be formally laid for his crimes.
Notably, Laughton has consistently been referred to with female pronouns by the US Attorney’s Office and most media outlets.
