Attorney General John M. Formella announces that the Merrimack County Superior Court has sentenced Thomas John Ball Poirier (age 41) of Tilton, New Hampshire, to serve two consecutive terms of two-to-four-years in the New Hampshire State Prison for causing serious bodily injury to two children. Poirier was formerly employed at Spaulding Academy and Family Services in Northfield, New Hampshire. Between July 3, 2020, and December 22, 2020, he stole medications that had been prescribed to Spaulding’s residents, some of whom were children under the age of 13. Poirier then replaced the stolen medication with unknown substances that he colored with marker pens to make the unknown substances appear to be the children’s medications. Two of the children experienced severe behavioral changes as a reaction to having their prescriptions tampered with.
On November 21, 2022, Poirier pleaded guilty to First Degree Assault, a class A felony, Second Degree Assault, a class B felony, and Obtaining a Controlled Drug by Deceit, also a class B felony. Poirier will serve the first two-to-four-year sentence, on the First-Degree Assault charge, for causing serious bodily injury to a child who was then twelve years old. Upon the expiration of that sentence, Poirier will serve a consecutive two-to-four-year sentence, on the Second-Degree Assault charge, for causing serious bodily injury to a second child, who was then sixteen years old. Upon the expiration of that sentence, Poirier will serve another fully suspended sentence of 3½ to 7 years for Obtaining a Controlled Drug by Deceit.
