YOUR COMMENTS

I have an idea to restricting sex offender residency - LEAVE THEM IN JAIL. This country has serious issues when it can not help protect the most innocent of victims. Leave them in jail and let them get a taste of their own medicine - every day - like these poor children have to live with THEIR pain everyday. I pity the man who tries anything with MY kid.....it will be shoot first (and low), let the neighbors at him for a bit, then MAYBE we'll call the police to arrest what's left of him. It disgusts me that there are even defenders of these monsters.
- Julie, Manchester

CW - Not everybody is aware of the sex offender registry. People with children will move to locations where registered offenders live without realizing they should even check.

Yes, it is our fault for not doing our due diligence before moving in - a mistake that won't happen again - but in knowing that many people will continue to make the same mistake, shouldn't we put in place a system that will proactively notify people with kids, about registered sex offenders living in their town?

My tentative idea is for schools to send home a letter with names, addresses, and offense levels (and maybe even a picture) to parents at the beginning of every school year. I don't know if that can happen, but I do know a letter went home this year stating that there are offenders in the area. What is the harm in expanding that notice to include names and addresses?

Again, if it were your kid that this happened to, you would be outraged too. My children were not violated, but I feel the pain for all the children who are abused by child molesters, and I want to do what I can to help protect our children from future abuse. This is not about Joel Dutton anymore. Now it is about protecting children everywhere.
- Steve Hanson, Hooksett, NH

"Gillespie's fiance, Scott Hansen, said when the couple first moved to the Dundee Avenue, they had no idea Dutton was a convicted child sex offender. 'I actually had Mr. Dutton in my house and had my two children living there," Hansen said. "I had no idea.'"

-That is their own fault...all potential homeowners should do their homework and look on the state website or on the Family Watchdog website. You can map out where all registered sex offenders live. It is against a person's constitutional rights to be told where they can or cannot live, so instead of blaming the police for letting this offender live near you...do your research and don't move near him/her. In fact- Ms. Gillespie moved in between TWO sex offenders.
- CW, Manchester, NH

Jay: The Police Dept stated that the bail was set at $25,000 and he was then released on his own PI. That was stated at the meeting last night. I am in no way saying that his bail should not have been set at much much more because it probably should have been. Tracy & Tim: I totally agree that things need to change. I have been saying that for a very long time. What I did hear was people saying that they didnt know there were peodophiles in their neighborhood and if they had they would have not bought a home there and would not have let him visit their home. No one indicated that they had made use of the info available to the general public. I am not saying that what you are doing is wrong, in fact it is very right, I am just saying that it appeared that everyone was up in arms because of what just happened. It appeared to some of us that had this horrible situation not occurred nothing would have ever been brought to the Town Council. If I am wrong, I apologize. I do think that the Town Council was very open minded and that the PD is being gracious in going to the bus stop. If there are parents at the bus stop already then I do feel that the SRO should be at the schools though. ALso, as per my previous post, the SAU is more than willing to look into moving any bust stop in our town upon receiving a request in writing. Apparently you did not read the part of my first post staing that I am more than well aware of the dangers our children face. This man is evil and there is no questioning that. Cudos to whom ever made the call to the authorities! If we all join forces and push our State Reps, maybe things can change to better protect our children. I pray it changes soon!
- K Russell, Hooksett

Sex offenders dont live in small town America? Think again. Earlier this year, Dover tried banning sex offenders from living within schools and parks only to find that it was unconstitutional. And the guy they City of Dover waged war on has the right to sue the City of Dover for action they took against him.

Two children in my family were molested.A little over two years ago, their molester was set free after serving his time. Mind you he has several years of parole still to serve, but how am I to know how many times he has been visited by his parole officer? We arent notified when his parole officer makes visits. However we will get notified should a request be made to modify or suspend his parole. I and other members of my family will fight that he serves every day he was originally given. Mainly in part because his parole is a longer sentence than his prison term was.

I have two child molesters living in within three blocks from me. One is two houses down from me. I know this because I check the sex offenders lists quite often. No one bothers or harrasses these people. The one in my neighborhood, he is rarely seen outside when neighborhood kids are outside. He sits out on his porch when the kids have gone in. I've spoken with him several times while out walking my dogs. I didnt tell him, "Hey listen,I know you are a sex offender and I am watching you and telling everyone in the neighborhood about your past!" I can't be his judge or his jury. He has two choices with his life. He can pass, and not repeat his past, or he can fail and repeat his past.

I dont believe Police Chiefs, Mayors, selectmen(women) have the right to decide and oust a child molester living in their city or town either. They dont want the problem. Wrong attitude to have, because every city and town has problems. Drugs, guns, gangs, drunks, robberies, domestics, children being molested, women being raped on the street and in their own homes.

There are rapist who have served time in prison living in Manchester and yes small town America. One might even be your neighbor. But hey guess what? You and your neighbors dont know that because they arent part of the sex offenders list nor do they have a list of their own. If you are over the age of 18, it's rape and these rapist dont get the publicity child molesters get once they are released from prison.

Yeah I will always maintain some level of anger and hostility towards the person who molested my family members. However, he along with many others has the right to have a home somewhere. My biggest fear? For me or my family members to come face to face with the person who molested my family members. Quite frankly, I'd like to see that they all get placed in a commune. But that too is unconstitutional.

Fear is the problem in Hooksett just as it was in Manchester and in Dover. And in the Hooksett incident, first he says he did, which is what got him arrested again, and now he's recanting it.

More people need to check the sex offenders list to see who lives in their area. Talk to your children, set boundries.

It's unconstitutional to set guidelines to keep child molesters, away from parks, playgrounds, schools and churches. Just as it was unconstitutional to ban another halfway house in Manchester that houses a majority of sex offenders on their last leg of their prison sentence. This building is maybe 50 feet from a block long four story row house that houses hundreds of children and that didnt matter.
- TC, Manchester,NH

I'm really upset reading some of these comments.

To Rick….. my neighborhood is far from crying & whining about this guy. We are trying to protect our children. ALL OUR CHILDREN from people like him. This man is already a tier 3 sex offender. Yet he had children living in his home. He admitted to getting aroused by a 7yr old girl sitting on his lap and then he gets out on bail & back in our neighborhood. Our children knew this little girl. They went on the school bus with her. Her life is ruined because of him. She will never forget.

Do we want all offenders to move to Manchester??? ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!! We want them to move to another State entirely so ALL our children can be safe. Better yet …. put them in jail for LIFE!!! NH does not have any laws to protect our children from these people.

We all know we can not do this at a Town/City level. It needs to be done at a State level. Instead of saying nasty things about us as concerned neighbors, why don’t you try and help ALL our communites limit where these sick people like Joel can live & visit? We need to get our town, your town, and all towns in NH to rally together to limit where these people can live & visit. There is no reason why I have to worry about my child going to the library & being exposed to by some disgusting creep. Or whether she is being gawked at by some pervert while cheerleading at a football game.

To Deb & Sandra….what is going on here has nothing to do with the politics of what is happening with the Hooksett police department. Save it for somebody else’s article.

To K Russell…The police department is being nice enough to make our children (and parents) feel at ease while Joel Dutton is out on bail. We did not ask for them to do this. They just know is it the right thing to do. I respect and thank them for that. There is not one morning or afternoon there are not at least 2 parents at the bus stop watching our children. We work as a team in our neighborhood. Ms Russell, I’m not sure what you took from the meeting last night but you misinterpeted a lot!!!! We didn’t just find out that we had 2 immediate offenders living near us. This has been known for awhile. What we are upset with is that Joel was let back into our community after admitting to his crime. He's a sick, sick man.

Tracy in Manchester, well put. Gov Lynch needs to do something. Please help us.

All of our Town Counselors were very receptive to our concerns last night. I was impressed & relieved. Although I was disappointed at first because an ordinance is not feasible, I understand the reasons behind it. Things can not happen right away but I feel if we all just ban together and work hard, we can figure out something.
- Tracy, Hooksett

why can't people take responsibility for their information? why do people think they are entitled to be notified of information they should be seeking out on their own accord?
I'm not even a parent but I know how to access the states website and I know where the sex offenders are in my town. Its time people become more responsible adults.
- CAS, Candia

K in Hooksett, prior to this incident the residents were well aware that there are multiple offenders that live in their neighborhood. There are and always have been parents waiting at the bus stop with their children before and after school. The residents never requested the school resource officer monitor the bus stop in the morning and afternoon. It was a neighbor, who was aware that Joel was an offender, that had notified the authorities that he had re-offended. People are not outraged that he lives in their neighborhood, they are outraged because he was let out of jail. We know that is the fault of the state and has more to do with prison populations and budgets than the severity of the crime. The point that we are trying make is that offenders, like Joel Dutton, can go to places where kids conjugate (schools, play grounds, parks, libraries, etc.).

This is about protecting our children. As far as I am concerned the minute someone commits a crime such as an offense against a minor they loose the right to visit areas where children conjugate. It is obvious to me that Joel was not rehabilitated properly after his first offense. It is also obvious from his interviews that he thinks what he did back in 1999 and recently was not a crime. Do you really want someone like that going to a library where he could commit further offenses? Do you really want someone like him lingering around parks and fields like Donati where he could assault another child?

We are also trying to make residents more aware of people that might be living in their neighborhood. It has become apparent to me that not a lot of people have visited the offenders registry. I am sure this story had opened the eyes of many people and because of that they have visited the offender registry and found out that their are offenders living near them. People need to be more vigilant when dealing with offenders and this story will help expose that.
- Tim, Hooksett

In the word of judge Judy. "MOVE". Either learn to be good nieghobrs or leave. I hate it when people got nothing more to do than just complain about everything. Deal with the sistuation and move on.
- Stonecold Bob, Manchester

K in Hooksett, prior to this incident the residents were well aware that there are multiple sex offenders that live in their neighborhood. There are and always have been multiple parents waiting at the bus stop with their children before and after school. The residents never requested the school resource officer monitor the bus stop in the morning and afternoon. It was a neighbor, who was aware that Joel was a sex offender, that had notified the authorities that he had re-offended. People are not outraged that he lives in their neighborhood, they are outraged because he was let out of jail. We know that is the fault of the state and has more to do with prison populations and budgets than the severity of the crime. The point that we are trying make is that sex offenders, like Joel Dutton, can go to places where kids conjugate (schools, play grounds, parks, libraries, etc.).

This is about protecting our children. As far as I am concerned the minute someone commits a crime such as a sex offense against a minor they loose the right to visit areas where children conjugate. It is obvious to me that Joel was not rehabilitated properly after his first offense. It is also obvious from his interviews that he thinks what he did back in 1999 and recently was not a crime. Do you really want someone like that going to a library where he could commit further offenses? Do you really want someone like him lingering around parks and fields like Donati where he could assault another child?

We are also trying to make residents more aware of people that might be living in their neighborhood. It has become apparent to me that not a lot of people have visited the sex offenders registry. I am sure this story had opened the eyes of many people and because of that they have visited the sex offender registry and found out that their are sex offenders living near them. People need to be more vigilant when dealing with sex offenders and this story will help expose that.
- Tim, Hooksett

Govenor Lynch....are you hearing the cry of your people? We are begging for strict rules to keep our children safe. We need your involvement. We were there when you needed our vote. ALL TOWNS should have their PRIVATE pedofile lists exposed. People have the right to protect their children. Why is this so hard to understand? Do you have any clue as to what it feels like to be a victim? Talk to one.
- tracy, manchester

No offense to the new SRO, but I would be more confident if Captain Cecilio was calling on Jay Defina, who had a proven track record as SRO and seemed to have a capcity for detecting and mitigating criminal activity.

Just my opinion.
- Todd Lizotte, Hooksett

Molesters are the lowest form of life. They should be dealt with accordingly, their right to a speeedy trial should be carried out, and if convicted...no second chances. I am tired of this state making a big deal out of small pety criminal acts and ordering "PR" bail for scum like this. Time to wake up .If it were my child ,id make sure this scum never had a second chance. Molesters dont need therapy they need death by firing squad.
- john mc, hooksett, nh

Deb, show me one legitimate study that shows a strong correlation between homosexuality and pedophilia and I'll buy into your argument. Beyond that, it's obvious that you're just bitter that society has moved beyond your personal beliefs.
- Jason, Londonderry

Jason point out where I said there was a correlation between the two? I simply stated our leadership found the creation of gay marriage more important than dealing with sex offenders and added on what I figured our current leaders solution to the problem could be consider how they felt marriage should be viewed.

I know gay people and do not hate them at all. Their life is their own and I would defend them to the end on that but don't force it on me and I'd be happy to debate that thinking over a few beers and maybe a few laughs along the way with any gay person or couple depending on their attitude.
- Deb, Derry

K. Russell from Hooksett... The article says the offender was released on "personal recognizance" so where did your $25,000 in bail statement come from. Not to mention if he was released shouldn't there be an order for him to stay away from the victim and anyone under the age of 18? Curious why the judicial system took the approach it did on a repeat offender.
- Jay Caldwell, Hooksett NH

Excellent point Jason. People like Deb are a major problem in this country today. You can have all the personal freedoms that you want as long as Deb agrees with them. That's not what this country stands for.
- Bob V, Manchester

Deb, show me one legitimate study that shows a strong correlation between homosexuality and pedophilia and I'll buy into your argument. Beyond that, it's obvious that you're just bitter that society has moved beyond your personal beliefs.
- Jason, Londonderry

Not to worry people now that two men having sex is now a basis for marriage our leadership can now deal with sex offenders. All they need to do is lower the age of consent and sex offenders will no longer be criminals. I'm sure the idea has more of a chance than actually keeping them locked up in a mental hospital for life and protecting the rest of society. Remember to some the constitution protects them more than your son or daughter.
- Deb, Derry

I find it amusing that the Hooksett Police are telling the residents that the school resource officer will be patroling before and after school. Is it going to be done before or after this officer is fired because our chief comes in and decides that he doesn't like them anymore? Angerfiotis is and always be a coward. Why hasn't the town looked into why there are so many officers leaving this department. Do you realize how much it cost the town every time we have to send someone to the police academy? Hooksett is being used as a stepping stone for our officers to build their resume and go elsewhere. Boutin, wake up and do something. I can't believe that our selectmen have allowed this chief to walk over them. I would love to hear how many officers Hooksett has lost since Angerfiotis has taken office. He reminds of that little guy in the Shrek movie.
- Sandra, hooksett

Is the union leader taking the position that the police should go and sit at all bus stops because there is a registered sex offender out there or should sit where people are out on bail. How many cops do you think Hooksett has. I believe they have asked for more but the town has voted it down and the chief is out firing everyone.
- Jeff, Manchester

While Dover's residency ordinance was struck down here recently, the Vt Supreme Court struck down Barre's residency ordinance on September 9. If a reader Google's residency restrictions for sex offenders, one can find at least a dozen states where the same has happened...and in some case long before New Hampshire's law was struck down. Moreover, many law enforcement officials do not favor such ordinances as it causes sex offenders to not register.

Yet knowing this, we are now entertained as the residents of Hooksett cry and whine about this guy and want an ordinance to call their own. But what really saddened me is seeing a solid, stand-up guy like David Boutin cow-towing to these residents with a nod for legislation to help an ordinance along.

I can just hear some of those Hooksett residents, "let (them) move to Manchester or Concord...we don't want them here." You see, thats the dirty little secret...This is Nimby Politics at its best.

Hey Phil Hubbard ever hear the saying, "you can't pick your relatives?" So you do all this stuff to drive out this sex offender...do you drive out his family as well? You gonna stand your ground when the peeved family member stands his or her ground and fights back?
- Rick Olson, Manchester

As a Hooksett resident and a mother of a child that has survived being molested I have much sympathy for this litlle girl. Having said that her own family put her at risk. I hope they sleep well at night. As far as the bail commissioner, he did his job and put a $25,000 bail on this piece of garbage. Unfortunately the man made bail. Maybe the guidelines for bail need to change but that is not the comissioner's fault. As far as all of the neighbors that are now in an uproar, why have they not paid attention until now? There are multiple lists available on the internet to see where sex offenders are living. The same info is available at the police station. Wake up people!! Pay attention. Do things need to change though to make us safer yes they do but please use what we have now in the meantime. As far as the SRO standing at this bus stop every day twice a day, what about the other children at school or at other bus stops? How about one of these concerned parents monitoring their own bus stop? Better yet, how about they send a simple letter to the SAU and ask for a change of location for their bus stop? Yes a simple request is all it takes to do that. This world we live in is scary and there are alot of horrible people out there so lets stand up before something happens and work the sytem to our advantage! I empathize with the neighbors on Dundee Ave but people why did you wait until now to wake up? I attended this meeting last night and was flabergasted that these people had no idea who or what lived in their neighborhood until this happened. Lets use this as a wake up call!!!!!!!
Phil I would be right there with you! We can fight back legally!
- K Russell, Hooksett

How have people not forced this guy out? If this were my neighborhood I would make his life hell, legally. Post signs and fliers with his crimes and protest whenever possible outside his door. Drive him out!
- Phil Hubbard, Northfield, NH