A Democrat lawmaker from New Hampshire has been arrested for “stalking a woman,” according to authorities.
State Rep. Stacie Laughton was arrested over the weekend in a domestic violence-related stalking case.
The Democrat, real name Barry Laughton, is New Hampshire’s first transgender elected official.
Laughton spent the weekend at Valley Street Jail after getting arrested for violating a domestic violence order by stalking a person.
Laughton is charged with stalking a woman in violation of a civil restraining order, according to Hudson police.
One House Democrat came to Laughton’s defense, however.
Rep. Timothy Horrigan (D-Durham) said:
“She’s gotten into a lot of trouble over the years & she keeps getting into trouble, but she’s basically a good person.
“She’s not violent or abusive, or harmful to anyone other than herself.”
Former GOP state Rep. Kim Rice said of Horrigan’s comment:
“I don’t think the person she was stalking would feel the same way,” Rice responded.
“I am thinking that person would definitely think they were harmed.
“I’m shocked sitting on the [House] Judiciary Committee you would even say this.”
Laughton’s website says:
Stacie-Marie Groves-Laughton was the first out transgender elected official in New Hampshire, and is believed to be the first out transgender person elected to a state legislature anywhere in the United States.
Her only known predecessor, Althea Garrison, was outed as transgender by The Boston Herald only after she had already been elected, and does not self-identify as transgender.
Now that Laughton has returned to the New Hampshire House of Representatives she now joins a long list of transgender elected officials around the nation including joining fellow NH Reps who are transgender also.
I am not pleased by anything Stacie did & now I wished I just ignored NH Journal’s provocation. There are other reps who did bad things recently. Like, for example, the @NHGOP rep who ripped off several million $ from both the federal gov’t & his hometown (not in NH). (1/2)
— Timothy Horrigan (@TimothyHorrigan) November 15, 2022
I actually tried to interest the guys at NH Journal in that 2nd story. They were not at all interested, even though it was a very juicy story which was all hidden in very plain view. (2/2)
— Timothy Horrigan (@TimothyHorrigan) November 15, 2022