×
×
homepage logo
LOGIN
SUBSCRIBE

Goffstown man allegedly molested Nashua girl

By Dean Shalhoup - Senior Staff Writer | Jan 23, 2019

Telegraph photo by DEAN SHALHOUP Kenneth Houle, the 54-year-old Goffstown man charged with molesting a young girl in Nashua over a period of years, awaits the start of his bail hearing Tuesday in Superior Court. He is accompanied by Attorney Ryan Guptill.

NASHUA – Additional charges may be forthcoming for child sexual-assault suspect Kenneth Houle, a prosecutor told a Superior Court judge Tuesday. Houle is being held on preventive detention, pending his next court appearance.

Houle, 54, of 37 Cove St., Goffstown, faces one count of aggravated felonious sexual assault-pattern, a special felony that accuses him of inappropriately touching a girl, now 14, “on more than one occasion” from 2017 to the present, according to the charging documents.

As family members of the alleged victim looked on, Judge Charles Temple handed down his preventive detention ruling, citing Houle’s references to suicide just before he was taken into custody, and the “multiple admissions” he allegedly made to “multiple people” regarding the allegations.

If and when he is released on bail, Houle is to have no contact with the girl and members of her family, as well as all females under age 16, and must stay at least 100 yards away from the girl’s residence, according to Temple’s order.

Attorney Ryan Guptill, who represented Houle at Tuesday’s hearing, requested an evidentiary hearing, which the court granted and scheduled for 9 a.m. Jan. 30.

The prosecutor, Assistant County Attorney Brett Harpster, told the court the alleged victim divulged to others last week the accusations against Houle, which sparked a police investigation.

Police said in their reports that members of the department’s Special Investigations Division gathered evidence and were granted a warrant for Houle’s arrest.

Detectives reached Houle by phone late Saturday afternoon, initiating a conversation that would continue for five hours and involve one or more members of the department’s Crisis Intervention Unit, according to police reports.

Houle allegedly talked of suicide during the call, and allegedly told police he had a firearm in the car with him.

Guptill, Houle’s attorney, said Houle has lived in Goffstown since 2001, has “strong ties” to the community and works full-time.

“Mr. Houle has no criminal record, and no history” that would indicate he is a flight risk or presents a danger to himself or anyone else, Guptill told the court.

While Houle did “make suicidal statements” to police and did have a gun with him when he was arrested, “there is no evidence he made an attempt to carry out those actions,” Guptill said, referring to suicide.

During the long conversation, Houle told police he was planning to turn himself in Saturday evening, and was arranging to meet with his adult son, who lives nearby, to accompany him to police headquarters.

While they were on the way, Guptill said, police spotted Houle’s vehicle, conducted a felony stop, and took him into custody.

Dean Shalhoup may be reached at 594-1256, dshalhoup@nashuatelegraph.com, or @Telegraph_DeanS.

Newsletter

Join thousands already receiving our daily newsletter.

Interests
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *