Gray: Let police, prosecutors do their job before passing judgment on Lachance

City Councilor James Gray ... calls on police, prosecutors to complete probe as quickly as possible (Rochester Voice file photo)

ROCHESTER - A Rochester City Councilor on Thursday characterized the sex assault allegations leveled at fellow counselor Doug Lachance as "heinous," but stopped short of demanding he resign because he hasn't been convicted or even charged.

Instead Councilor and state senator Jim Gray said the board should wait until police and the County Attorney's Office finish their probe.

"I encourage the Police and County Attorney to quickly complete their investigations and if charges are appropriate to file them," Gray said in an email to The Rochester Voice. "At that time the City Council will be able to take the appropriate actions."

Doug Lachance (Courtesy photo)

City Councilors Jeremy Hutchinson and Palana Belken have already demanded Lachance step down after accusations of sex assault aimed at Lachance resurfaced on Wednesday when a 37-year-old Colorado man made the accusations again.

Andy Brooks, who grew up in Rochester, alleges Lachance made inappropriate sexual advances to him when he was a teenager.

Strafford County Attorney Tom Velardi told The Rochester Voice on Wednesday that the reason the case was dropped in 2007 was because the main complainant - represented as Brooks in police documents from 2007 - decided not to move forward with what would have likely been a long and difficult trial for a misdemeanor case.

Now that Brooks has gone public again, it's all back on the table, Velardi said. Rochester Police Capt. Todd Pinkham said on Wednesday the investigation had been reopened for about a month "after one of the victims reached out to speak with us again about the case."

Lachance has issued several denials the abuse occurred and declined further comment on Thursday.

A deeply disturbing police affidavit from 2007 paints a picture of Lachance's East Rochester home as a haven for young boys in their teens where booze and grass were nearly always at hand.

Brooks told investigators in 2007 that most of the abuse occurred in the spring of 2001.

The Rochester Voice reached out to the city's mayor and the other City Councilors regarding their thoughts on the matter, but only Gray was willing to comment.

Gray also credited Brooks "for seeking help in dealing with the trauma he has experienced in his life," adding, "Abuse at the hands of a trusted authority figure can destroy a young life."

Meanwhile, a Seacoast attorney said that while the 2007 charges as presented did not constitute a felony according to County Attorney Tom Velardi, that doesn't rule out that elevated felony charges might be considered now.

"If additional accusations that fit under another statute apply now, that might bring a more severe charge," said Durham attorney Stuart Dedopoulos.

He said prosecutors will have to go back and pore over the 2007 statutes to determine what, if any, charges might be forthcoming.

Given that the alleged victim in the case was a juvenile the statute of limitations is well within the parameters of having active charges leveled if warranted, Dedopoulos said.

Velardi has declined comment on the specifics of potential charges.