Lawyers defending youth center against abuse allegations highlight former resident’s misbehavior

By HOLLY RAMER
Associated Press

BRENTWOOD, N.H. (AP) — Attorneys defending the state of New Hampshire have begun highlighting the past misdeeds of man who says he suffered horrific physical and sexual abuse as a teenager at the state’s youth detention center. Eleven former state workers have been arrested since the state launched an unprecedented criminal investigation into the Sununu Youth Services Center in 2019, and more than 1,100 former residents have sued the state alleging six decades of physical, sexual and emotional abuse. The first lawsuit, filed by David Meehan, went to trial this week. In court Thursday, lawyers had a former worker review reports about incidents in which Meehan tried to escape from a pre-trail facility and assaulted another resident.