Also on today’s menu:
Former Prison Guard Sentenced For Assault
Right-To-Know Compromise Strike A Balance
Police have arrested Dylan Morse, 21, of Winchester in the March 28 fatal crash in Hinsdale that took the life of Richard Miner, 24, of Greenfield MA, who was a passenger in Morse’s 2003 Volkswagen Jetta. Morse is facing charges of manslaughter, negligent homicide, and driving or operating after suspension resulting in death or serious personal injury.
State Police say Morse was driving the Jetta at a high rate of speed on Route 119, operating erratically when they spotted him. The Jetta abruptly reversed direction, crossing into the westbound lane and colliding head-on with a 1999 Jeep Wrangler operated by Arthur Oefinger, 59, of Hinsdale. Miner was thrown from the vehicle and was pronounced dead at the scene.
An ambulance took Morse and another passenger, Teasha Kristolaitis, 21, of Winchester, to Brattleboro Memorial Hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries, while Oefinger was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
Discussion: Authorities have been reporting an excessive number of drivers exceeding the speed limit since the pandemic, which has led to an increase in serious traffic accidents.
Former Prison Guard Sentenced For Assault
Theophilus Osabutey, 41, of Laconia, a former correctional officer at the New Hampshire State Prison, received a suspended 12-month jail sentence after pleading guilty to a Class A misdemeanor charge of assaulting a prisoner. He must perform 50 hours of community service and complete an anger management evaluation and treatment.
Osabutey agreed to surrender his certification as a corrections officer and to not seek further employment in law enforcement or corrections. He also agreed to not contest his placement on a national registry of decertified officers or on the New Hampshire Attorney-General’s Exculpatory Evidence Schedule, formerly known as the Laurie List.
The crime occurred “on or about November 4, 2022,” when Osabutey struck a prisoner. The suspended sentence is contingent upon Osabutey remaining on good behavior for two years.
Discussion: The days when guards and police officers could get away with assaulting people are diminishing, as was apparent in the sentencing of six former law enforcement officers who had tortured and abused two black men in Rankin County, Mississippi. Federal Judge Tom Lee sentenced the defendants to prison terms of 10 to 40 years for kicking in the door during a warrantless home search, handcuffing and tasing the men, taunting them with racial slurs, and even firing a gun in the mouth of one of the victims, breaking his jaw.
Right-To-Know Compromise Strike A Balance
Responding to opposition by the New Hampshire Press Association, the American Civil Liberties Union-New Hampshire, the New England First Amendment Coalition, and Right to Know NH, lawmakers in the New Hampshire House of Representatives voted, 268-106, for an amended version of House Bill 1002 that would reduce the cost of obtaining records under RSA 91-A, the state’s Right-To-Know Law. The groups had worked with Representative Katelyn Kuttab (R-Windham), sponsor of the bill, to address concerns about the hourly fees that would make it more difficult to obtain information from governmental bodies.
The amendment drops the hourly fee and allows municipalities and agencies to charge only for responding to information requests that exceed 250 records on the same topic. The amended bill provides fee exemptions for people who cannot afford to pay; the media; and information that is likely to significantly contribute to the public’s understanding of government operations or activities, such as how a municipality or state agency negotiates the sale of public property, handles allegations of wrongdoing by a public employee, or evaluates bids for public contracts.
Companies seeking records for commercial purposes, such as requests for purchasing records that would allow them to build their own pricing guide, and broad requests from individuals or advocacy groups intended to harass public officials, would be subject to fees.
Discussion: This appears to be a good compromise between public interest and the burden it places on municipalities and agencies. They would have to estimate the cost of making records available, and could suggest “reasonable modifications” of the scope of the requests to reduce costs and make the records available more quickly. Those requesting records have the right to reject those suggestions.