Former KHS club adviser's felony case heads for trial

OSSIPEE — A former Kennett High School Key Club adviser who is facing several felonies, including aggravated felonious sexual assault, is scheduled to go to trial next year.

Malcolm Badger of Jackson, now 28, volunteered with KHS’ Key Club International chapter, turned himself in on Oct. 25, 2024, to Conway police on a warrant on a charge of felonious sexual assault as defined by NH RSA 632-A:3.

According to court documents, jury selection is scheduled for May 4, 2026, and the trial is expected to take 10 days. Trial dates are May 26-29, 2026, and June 1-5, 2026. A final pretrial conference will be held April 16, 2026.

There will be a status conference on Sept. 24.

The investigation into Badger was initiated by School Resource Officer Cory Brandon. Brandon reported that based on informants at the high school, Badger had supplied alcoholic beverages to “a large number of students,” police said.

On Jan. 17, Badger was indicted by a Carroll County Superior Court grand jury. The indictments became available through the court recently.

The most serious charge is a special felony-level count of aggravated felonious sexual assault, which carries a prison sentence of up to 20 years in prison and a $4,000 fine.

The charge alleges that between January and May 2024, Badger touched a girl under 16 years old multiple times. A Class B felonious sexual assault indictment, says Badger touched the same girl while he was a volunteer at Kennett High School and she was a student.

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An indictment alleging Badger committed witness tampering says Badger told another female student that he was under investigation and “asked her not to say anything incriminating to the police.” The witness tampering indictment is being charged as a Class B felony and is punishable by up to seven years in prison.

An indictment alleging attempted possession of child pornography says that Badger solicited a 17-year-old boy for a picture of his genitals. This indictment is being charged as a Class A felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison.

Deputy County Attorney Kim Tessarri signed all the indictments.

On Feb. 5, Badger waived his arraignment and entered a plea of not guilty, through his attorney, David Bobrow of Portland, Maine.

Bobrow told the Sun that “a lot of what we are seeing in discovery I don’t think factually supports the sum of the charges he is faced with.”

Badger, who is free on bail, graduated from Kennett High School in 2014. He served as Key Club district governor for all of New England and Bermuda during his senior year and has been a Kiwanis adviser since 2021.

Last fall, SAU 9 Superintendent Aimee Frechette stated that Badger was not an adviser hired by the Conway School Board but was affiliated with the club through Kiwanis.

Last October, Norm Gamache, president of the Kiwanis Club of Mt. Washington Valley, said the board of directors unanimously voted at an emergency meeting to remove Badger from all roles with Kiwanis.