Matthew McGonagle pleas guilty to sexual assault

Matthew McGonagle, 36, of Contoocook, who recently resigned as assistant principal at Rundlett Middle School in Concord, pled guilty to one count of felonious sexual assault and two counts of misdemeanor sexual assault in Belknap Superior Court yesterday. The charges followed a lengthy investigation by the Belknap County Sheriff's Office and Belknap County Attorney's Office undertaken after a young woman reported that McGonagle sexually assaulted her during the 1999-2000 school year when she was a student and he was a teacher at Gilford Middle School. Deputy County Attorney Wayne Coull filed the three charges earlier in the day and McGonagle, who waived his right to a formal indictment by a grand jury, appeared in court late in the afternoon before Judge Peter Fauver to enter his pleas and accept his sentence. McGonagle was accompanied in court by his parents, John and Sandra McGonagle of Gilford, along with a large, supportive group of relatives and friends. McGonagle will serve two years in the Belknap County House of Corrections on the misdemeanor charges followed by a suspended sentence of two-and-half to five years at the New Hampshire State Prison on the felony charge. The suspended sentence requires 20 years of good behavior. In addition, he must undergo sexual offender evaluation and treatment and register as a sexual offender for the remainder of his life. McGonagle's teaching certificate will be revoked and he will be forbidden from contact with children younger than 16, other than his own. Coull told the court that the series of assaults began in 1999, when the young woman was 14. Describing her as "the child," Coull said that while driving her home after school, McGonagle stopped the car and kissed her. Afterwards, he said McGonagle repeatedly touched her breasts and buttocks, once reaching into her overalls, and frequently kissed her "in a sexual manner," Some of the episodes took place on school property. The felonious sexual assault charge arose from an incident that occurred one night in 2000 when McGonagle penetrated the child with his finger while in a parked car in Laconia. Coull said that when the child tried to distance herself from McGonagle he pursued her, writing numerous letters and notes. "He professed his love for the child," Coull told the court, adding that once he assured her that his attachment was "'emotional not just physical.'" Coull said that a thorough investigation by Detectives Chris Cost and Denise Miller of the Belknap County Sheriff's Department, which included interviewing many witnesses, confirmed the allegations. Asked by Fauver whether the allegations were "substantially correct," McGonagle firmly replied "yes." Coull assured the court that the victim was kept apprised of the negotiations surrounding the plea and considered the terms of the agreement appropriate. Afterwards he noted that the investigation was conducted and the charges filed "in a manner so as to best safeguard the privacy of the victim," adding that an indictment and prosecution would have "increased the anxiety and trauma to the victim," who he described as "a brave young woman whose privacy and dignity should not be jeopardized by the defendant's position." Coull said that "there is only the question of time," adding that two years in jail, together with the assurance that McGonagle would never again be in a position of authority over children, the requirement that he register as a sexual offender and the suspended sentence of 20 years was appropriate. "It is the longest suspension I have ever recommended," Coull said. Attorney Jim Rosenberg of Concord, representing McGonagle, also asked the court to accept the plea agreement. He recalled at the time the offenses occurred, McGonagle was recently divorced and living alone. "It was a difficult time for him," he said. Rosenberg said that McGonagle became "a surrogate member of the victim's family household" and became friends with the girl inside and outside of school. "The appropriate boundaries were blurred," he said. Rosenberg called the offenses "an isolated case," which has not been followed by allegations of misconduct since. "By his plea of guilty, Mr. McGonagle acknowledges to the state, the court, the victim and her family that he is taking responsibility," Rosenberg said. County Attorney Lauren Noether read a statement from the victim, who said that although no punishment could compensate for her suffering, she "took solace in knowing that McGonagle will never again abuse his position of authority to ensnare other victims in his web." Although Noether did not prosecute the case, she told the court that "it is easy to turn a blind eye to a teacher molesting a child" and that "those folks close to him and associated with the school, some of them here today, need to recognize this happened on their watch. There are many, many secondary victims in this room today," she said.