One-year sentence allows time for drug abuse help

By MIKE MORTENSEN, LACONIA DAILY SUN

LACONIA — A negotiated plea for a local man facing drug charges and probation violations was accepted Thursday after the prosecution and defense agreed to a longer term of confinement to enable the defendant to get more intensive help to deal with his substance abuse problems.

Christopher Hodges, 42, was initially prepared to plead to possession of a controlled drug and parole violations in return for nine months in the House of Correction, and participation in drug and alcohol counseling.

Under the terms of that proposed deal Hodges would have received credit for the 89 days he has already spent in confinement since he was arrested on the probation violation charges, meaning he could have been eligible for release at the end of September.

But Superior Court Justice James D. O’Neill III rejected those terms because he felt that due to Hodges’ chronic drug problems he needed to participate in the more intensive and structured CORE training and counseling program offered at the House of Corrections.

About an hour later Hodges, after conferring with his attorney, agreed to a 12-month House of Corrections sentence (with credit for the 89 days of pre-trial confinement) which will provide sufficient time to participate in the CORE program.

CORE — an acronym for Corrections Opportunity for Recovery and Education — is a program that works with offenders who are dealing with challenges, including substance misuse. The goal is to help them enter back into the community as productive members of society.

The sentence requires that Hodges complete the CORE program successfully. If he fails to do so the prosecution will move to have the court impose the suspended 1½- to 3-year portion of his sentence.

Christopher Hodges, right, listens as his attorney Caroline Smith explains part of his plea deal during a recess of his plea and sentencing hearing Thursday in Belknap County Superior Court. Standing behind them are Parole and Probation Officer Christopher Hamel, left, and Assistant County Attorney Keith Cormier. (Mike Mortensen/Laconia Daily Sun)