Stacie Laughton, age 37, of 80 Elm Street, Apartment 1, Nashua

NASHUA – Stacie Laughton, a one-time state representative and selectman representing Nashua’s Ward 4, and who has a criminal record that includes arrests for calling in a bomb threat to a local hospital and for credit card fraud conspiracy, has been charged anew with offenses accusing her of sending false emergency text messages to the state’s E-911 center.

Laughton, 37, of 80 Elm St., Apt. 1, was taken into custody Tuesday by Nashua police on a warrant issued following an investigation into the matter, police said.

Laughton, who also goes by Stacie-Marie Laughton, faces seven counts of penalty for false information, which are Class A misdemeanors.

She was booked on the charges then later released on personal recognizance bail pending arraignment, which is scheduled for Aug. 31 in Nashua district court.

Police said the allegedly false text messages prompted officers to respond to her residence on several occasions beginning in May.

“On each occasion, it was determined by the officers that there was no emergency,” police said.

They added that the investigation is ongoing and that additional charges are expected to be brought in the case.

Laughton, believed to be the first “out transgender” elected official in New Hampshire, is one of three Democratic state representatives from Hillsborough District 31, which is Nashua’s Ward 4.

Whether her arrest will affect the status of her service in Concord is not yet known.

Laughton’s history with legal issues goes back to 2008, when she was sentenced to prison on charges of conspiracy to commit credit card fraud and falsifying physical evidence.

She served four months in the Belknap County jail before being released on good behavior.

In 2015, Nashua police arrested Laughton on charges stemming from a bomb threat being phoned in to Southern New Hampshire Medical Center earlier that year.

The charge was reduced to a misdemeanor, and Laughton received a six-month jail sentence, all suspended.

Leading up to her successful run for state representative, Laughton in 2019 paid $2,000 in restitution to be cleared to run for public office.

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

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