Former State Rep. Stacie Marie Laughton, 42, of Nashua (right), and Lindsay Groves, 41, of Hudson, were recently sentenced to decades in prison after pleading guilty to numerous charges of sexually exploiting children. Courtesy photo/Nashua Police Department

NASHUA – Former State Rep. Stacie Marie Laughton, 42, of Nashua, and Lindsay Groves, 41, of Hudson, were recently sentenced to decades in prison after pleading guilty to numerous charges of sexually exploiting children.

Laughton was sentenced to 33 years followed by five years of supervised release while Groves, her former romantic partner, was sentenced to 22 years followed by five years of supervised release.

Between May 2022 and June 2023, Groves, who worked at Creative Minds Early Learning Center in Tyngsborough, Mass., took nude pictures of children and sent them to Laughton. The pictures were taken during bathroom breaks and diaper changes. Prosecuting attorneys maintained that Laughton encouraged Groves to take the pictures.

While conducting a forensic review of Groves’ and Laughton’s cell phones, investigators found more than 10,000 text messages that had been sent between the two during a one-month period in 2023. In the text messages, Groves and Laughton discussed the graphic pictures of children at Creative Minds. Investigators also found at least four “sexually explicit images” of children who appeared to be 3 to 5 years old. In one of the text messages, Laughton described having oral sex with a girl to which Groves replied: “She’s not even 3 yet.”

Groves was arrested in June 2023 and Laughton was taken into custody the following month.

Last fall, Laughton pled guilty to three counts of sexual exploitation of children and Groves pled guilty to one count of distribution of child pornography.

“Parents rely on daycare centers to provide safe, nurturing and healthy environments for their children. These defendants exploited parents’ trust in the most egregious way imaginable. All to satisfy their disgusting prurient interests. The victims in this case were toddlers – children who were not yet old enough to care for themselves and, in some cases, not even fully verbal,” said U.S. Attorney Leah Foley. “Everyone who learns about the conduct in this case should be outraged. The defendants stripped these children of their innocence, something that can never be undone. The sentences imposed reflect the depravity of the conduct and the seriousness of the crimes.”

Jeffrey Grimming, acting special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England, described the crimes as “abhorrent and disturbing.”

“It represents a profound violation of trust and the safety of vulnerable children. Groves and Laughton exploited their positions and betrayed the trust of parents and the community,” he said. “There are few crimes more disturbing than the sexual assault of a child.”