Also on today’s menu:
Elder Fraud Perpetrator Gets Prison Sentence
Parental Rights For Medical Care Debated
Larry Smith of Meredith was walking his dog on January 30 when an ice fisherman from Candia who had fallen through the ice in the vicinity of Leavitt Shores Beach on Lake Winnipesaukee caught his attention. Smith was able to pull the man out.
Meredith Fire Chief Ken Jones said the man was already on the shore when his department’s ice rescue team arrived in response to a call that came in around 2:30 p.m. Sergeant William Goulet of the Meredith Police Department was attending to the victim.
The victim said he had fallen through the ice and was unable to climb out on his own, as the ice kept breaking underneath him, but he was able to keep his head above water and call for help, catching Smith’s attention.
Discussion: The weather, alternating between snow and rain, with unseasonably warm temperatures, has not allowed ice to thicken, making the lakes especially dangerous. There was a report of a snowmobiler through the ice of Newfound Lake, and complaints of unfrozen ice along the shores of Winnipesaukee preventing access. As Jones pointed out, it is dangerous to rely on past years’ experiences, because this year, ice is forming differently, if at all.
Elder Fraud Perpetrator Gets Prison Sentence
Dujae Richards, 32, of Nottingham, received an 8- to 20-year prison sentenced on an identity fraud conviction in the Hillsborough County-Southern District Superior Court, with one year of the minimum suspended for 10 years; and a suspended 10- to 20-year sentence for theft and credit card fraud.
A jury trial in October found Richards guilty on 12 Class A felony counts of identity fraud, three Class A felony counts of credit card fraud, and one Class A felony count of theft by unauthorized taking for having taken advantage of a victim identified as T.H., an 88-year-old man with impaired mobility and vision. Richards moved in and agreed to help the victim manage his finances. On August 10, 2020, Richards posed as T.H. in order to obtain a credit card, and between October 2020 and February 2021, Richards posed as T.H. in order to obtain more than $125,000 from an annuity and multiple insurance policies the victim held. Additionally, between August 2020 and February 2021, Richards took money from T.H.’s checking account and used unauthorized credit cards to pay his personal debts and for travel.
The suspended sentence also stipulates that Richards may not serve as a fiduciary for any elderly, disabled, or impaired adult, and must pay restitution of $166,066.71.
Discussion: The amount of restitution covers what was taken, but the minimum sentence, minus a one-year suspension, means that Richard could be free in seven years, or before age 40. One hopes that is enough of a lesson for him.
Parental Rights For Medical Care Debated
Senator Ruth Ward (R-Stoddard) has sponsored Senate Bill 573 to guarantee that parents are notified and give consent to the medical care of a child. Signing onto the bill are senators William Gannon (R-Sandown), James Gray (R-Rochester), Kevin Avard (R-Nashua), Sharon Carson (R-Londonderry), Regina Birdsell (R-Hampstead), and Keith Murphy (R-Manchester), and representatives Jim Kofalt (R-Wilton), John Sellers (R-Bristol), Katy Peternel (R-Wolfeboro), and Sheila Seidel (R-Goffstown).
The bill came in response to fears that schools and doctors are shutting parents out of important decisions. Ward told the Senate Judiciary Committee on January 25, “Parents’ rights are being steadily stripped away by default and entrusted to state institutions.”
Parental consent already is required for most medical care for those under 18 years of age in New Hampshire, but there are exceptions for substance use treatment, birth control, and testing and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases.
Kayla Montgomery of Planned Parenthood of Northern New England testified that the federal Title X program requires confidentiality to all patients, including teenagers, and said, “Research shows that, without access to confidential care, many adolescents would not seek needed health services because of fear and judgment by parents or guardians.” Drug and alcohol counselor Jacqui Abikoff said, “It is highly unusual that a child seeking treatment without parental consent is doing so for any reason other than fear.”
Discussion: The fear that parents may not approve of medical care certainly does deter young people from seeking treatment, but that applies to many things a minor would do. Parental authority over the use of cell phones, participation in dangerous activities, and use of controlled substances also may not please young people, but oversight of their children is a parental duty. The fact that some parents would withhold necessary medical treatment is troublesome, and a reason to support confidentiality, but some of the advice coming from “experts” also is troublesome to contemplate. Drawing the line is not as simple as saying one or the other position on parental rights is correct.
Café Chatter
On Uncertified Teachers: The last thing that a state should want are uncertified people to teach a class of special education students, in particular. Please don’t do what Florida has done. The state may believe this an answer. Obviously it isn’t. And, what has happened here is certified quality teachers are resigning due to this, and other laws that have been passed regarding the LGBTQ+ community by limiting how teachers interact with students. Including up to being charged with a felony if a teacher listens to a student who is going through a difficult time regarding this community for a number reasons. I am starting to believe that many politicians do not want students to receive quality education. You know, the type of education if they were fortunate to go to a prep school where they have quality teachers and sincerely want to teach students to be able to critically think. Since the legislature here put in some of these laws the testing scores for reading and math at grade level have significantly decreased.
— Candace Skurnik