Teacher charged with sex assault of 18-year-old student. First case under NH's new law.

BRENTWOOD — A former New Hampshire teacher of the year finalist is facing felony charges, accused of sexually assaulting an 18-year-old student last year in what is the first criminal case brought under a new state law.

Bridgette Doucette-Howell, 38, of Merrimack, was indicted on three counts of aggravated felonious sexual assault for allegedly engaging in intercourse, and one count of felonious sexual assault for allegedly kissing the student between April 26 and May 13, 2021, in Kingston and Exeter.

The criminal case tests a new legal provision, known as the Howie Leung Loophole Law, intended to prevent those holding positions of authority from engaging in any kind of sexual contact with students, even if the student is not a juvenile and out of school at the time.

Rockingham County Attorney Patricia Conway said if there is a conviction, the maximum sentence for each aggravated felonious sexual assault offense is 10 to 20 years in prison. The felonious sexual assault penalty carries a 3 ½ to 7-year sentence, according to the indictment.

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Doucette-Howell has waived arraignment and has entered a plea of not guilty. She is currently free on personal recognizance bail, conditioned on her having no contact with the alleged victim and having “no unsupervised contact with children under 18 except her own.”

Kurt Olson, one of Doucette-Howell’s attorneys, declined to comment on details of the case, except to say his client “continues to maintain her innocence of all charges.”

According to published reports, when the alleged crimes took place, Doucette-Howell was working at Sanborn Regional High School in Kingston as a drama coach, her connection with the school on a limited basis for its theater arts extracurricular activity.

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After the indictments were handed down by a grand jury, her teaching license was suspended by the Department of Education.

A University of New Hampshire graduate with both a bachelor's and a master’s degree, Doucette-Howell was a New Hampshire Department of Education Teacher of the Year finalist in 2016 for her years of work as a special education teacher at Regional Services and Education Center, private schools in Amherst and Deerfield.

What is the Howie Leung Loophole Law?

Doucette-Howell is the first person charged under House Bill 1240, also known as the Howie Leung Loophole Law.

The law was signed by Gov. Chris Sununu in July 2020, and it went into effect in January 2021.

The new provision makes it a felony to engage in sexual activity "when the actor is an employee, contractor, or volunteer at a primary or secondary educational institution and the victim is a student and up to 10 months after the student's graduation or departure.”

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The intent of the provision concentrates on the influence authority figures have on relationships with students instead of the student’s age, since 18-year-olds are considered legal adults in most forums.

The bill was filed by state Rep. Katherine Prudhomme-O'Brien, R-Derry, in the Legislature to close a loophole in state law following the 2019 case of Concord High School teacher Primo “Howie” Leung.

His case began in the Granite State when students witnessed and reported to school officials seeing Leung allegedly kissing a student of adult age in a car.

In 2019, although teachers could easily be fired for engaging in sexual or romantic contact with students no matter their ages, at the time it didn’t violate New Hampshire law. So, Leung wasn’t charged in the Granite State.

However, the investigation into his conduct in Concord led to investigations into Leung’s activities in Massachusetts, which resulted in the Bay State bringing multiple felony charges against him for his alleged criminal behavior with students at a camp in Newton, Massachusetts. In Concord, the result of the Leung case were civil suits against the school district and personnel fallout.

Coalition backs bill, says it sends 'clear message'

The New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence supported the bill.

Pamela Keilig, the coalition’s policy specialist, said the law sends a “clear message that it is never appropriate for a teacher to engage in sexual contact with a student.”

“This legislation was critical in advancing protections for survivors in our state and ensures that all students in a primary or secondary educational setting are protected, even if they have turned 18,” Keilig said. “Youth have the right to learn in a safe environment and should never fear being exploited by adults who are in a position of trust and authority over them.”

According to Keilig, sexual relationships between teachers or other school officials of authority and students are “inherently abusive,” because of the power they hold, as a result, students “cannot truly consent to any type of romantic or sexual relationship.”

“New Hampshire law now clearly articulates that trusted adults, regardless of their position or employment, will be held accountable when they exploit children in their care,” according to Keilig.

Conway agreed, stating, “The new provision in the statute is important because it protects students who are 16 years of age and older from employees, teachers, coaches, etc. at high schools who may use their position of authority/trust to manipulate students into engaging in sexual acts.”

Alleged crimes took place months after law signed

The charges against Doucette-Howell allege criminal acts took place in April and May 2021, just a few months after the new provision went into effect in January.

Olson said he and his client were aware there was an investigation going on prior to charges being handed down in March 2022.

Conway didn’t want to discuss the length of the investigation, but added it’s not unusual for aggravated felonious sexual abuse investigations to take months to complete since a “thorough and detailed investigation” is required to bring appropriate charges and “meet the burden of proof.”

"It is also not unusual to obtain search warrants for electronic devices such as cell phones,” Conway said. “It can take a good amount of time for the investigator to search the devices and go through all of the information on the device that is relevant to the case.”

The Rockingham County Sheriff’s Department led the investigation with assistance from the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

According to court documents, Doucette-Howell’s case is scheduled for a dispositional conference in late May.

If you need help

Seacoast Media Group provides the following information as a public service with no judgment on the guilt or innocence of the suspect in the alleged crime described above.

If you need support Haven has trained confidential advocates available. The 24-hour hotline is (603) 994-SAFE (7233). Or to connect to our confidential, online chat service Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at havennh.org.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: NH teacher sex assault case first under Howie Leung Loophole Law