LACONIA — A local man, on trial for a repeated sexual assault against a minor, has been found guilty.
A jury found Dennis E. Lapointe, 69, guilty of four counts of pattern aggravated felonious sexual assault. Initial court records listed Lapointe as a Belmont resident. But more recent court records give a Laconia address.
The jury returned the verdict Tuesday afternoon after one hour of deliberation.
Lapointe’s conviction followed a three-day trial in Belknap Superior Court.
Judge Elizabeth Leonard revoked Lapointe’s bail immediately after the verdict was announced. He is being held in the Belknap County Corrections facility pending sentencing.
Lapointe was charged with “many years of sexual assault against a juvenile female from the time she was 5 years old until she was 12,” said Belknap County Attorney Andrew Livernois, who prosecuted the case.
“We’re very happy that the jury believed the victim in this case,” Livernois said. “We are mindful of how difficult it is for victims to have to testify in these cases.”
Livernois expected Lapointe will be sentenced within 30 days. Although he did not know precisely what sentence he would recommend, he said he would be seeking a sentence that included “significant prison time.”
Pattern aggravated felonious sexual assault is classified as a special felony, potentially punishable by 20 years in prison on each count.
Editor's note: This story has been updated to clarify Lapointe's address.
(1) comment
I was present at this hearing. And I can honestly say that this was the biggest witch hunt I've ever seen! No Mr. Mortenson the jury didn't believe the victim because she testified on Friday and Monday. On Tuesday, what the jury listened to for 15 minutes was Andrew Livernois repeating the same graphic statement over and over in the end before deliberations. I did not see any news reporters in the room to report on this. But it was that statement that sank Mr. LaPointe. This "victim" has numerous issues and the fact that a therapist pushed her until she "popped" because the therapist felt there was more to be said. This was after being locked up(as a punishment) for 4 hours with nothing more than a hard bench. This is a man that has worked hard his adult life.
This article is not a correct recount . Especially for those of us that were there and heard and saw. Mr. Livernois should not be patting himself on the back with an atta-boy because he got an innocent man a guilty verdict. Remember, the Defense was not allowed to present any evidence or testimony in favor of Mr. LaPointe.
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