A woman who formerly interned at a New Hampshire youth detention center said a supervisor told her to destroy notes regarding a teen boy’s sexual assault allegation.
Mary Goddard was required to visit the Sununu Youth Services Center in Manchester two days a week in 2017 and 2018 as part of a master’s degree program, the Associated Press reported Friday.
Goddard said a 17-year-old boy she was counseling in October 2017 told her he had been assaulted by a former counselor at the facility, according to AP. She told AP that when she revealed this information to her supervisor, she was told: “Well, she’s not here anymore, so he’s not in any danger.”
Goddard told AP she was then advised to report the allegation to the state’s Division of Children, Youth and Families. However, she said her supervisor advised her to “get rid of them,” referring to the notes from the sessions, AP reported. (RELATED: ‘All I Want Is To Continue To Be Your Child Molestor’: 33-Year-Old Arrested For Sex With Minor)
A former New Hampshire youth center intern says a supervisor suggested she destroy notes and lie about a teen’s sexual assault allegation. She says that claim was not included in a report. More than 200 men and women allege they were abused at the center. https://t.co/P8WaPRKFo5
— The Associated Press (@AP) April 2, 2021
The facility has more than 200 claims of physical or sexual abuse allegations by men and women dating as far back as 1963, AP reported. The center has also reportedly been under a criminal investigation since July 2019.
“I said, ‘There’s an active criminal case going on. What if charges are brought against her, shouldn’t I hold on to these? What happens if I get subpoenaed?’” Goddard told AP. “He said, ‘Oh, you can just tell them that you don’t remember what happened.’”
New Hampshire state law states it is illegal to alter or destroy any evidence which can be used in a pending or upcoming investigation, AP reported.
Democratic New Hampshire Rep. Mary Jane Wallner and Democratic New Hampshire state Sens. Cindy Rosenwald and Becky Whitley have organized efforts to close the facility as a result of the accusations, the Concord Monitor reported.
The lawmakers have called upon Republican New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu to close the detention center, the Concord Monitor reported.