The Berlin Daily Sun, Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Page 1

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2012

VOL. 20 NO. 196

BERLIN, N.H.

752-5858

FREE

‘Sexual predator’ sentenced for 1980s assault on boy BY MELISSA GRIMA THE BERLIN DAILY SUN

LANCASTER — The first man civilly committed as a sexual predator by the state is also now the first to be convicted of additional sex crimes and returned to the general population at the NH State Prison. William Ploof, 52, formerly of Berlin, was sentenced in Coos Superior Court on Feb. 10, by Judge Peter Bornstein. In October, a jury had found Ploof guilty of aggravated felonious sexual assault and conspiracy to commit aggravated felonious sexual assault for molesting an 11-12 year old boy in Berlin, between August 1982 and March 1983. Bornstein sentenced Ploof to consecutive sentences of seven-and-a-half to 15 years, with six months of the first sentence suspended, and the entire second sentence suspended for 10 years. The sentences were suspended on the conditions of good behavior and Ploof was ordered to successfully complete the sex offender treatment program offered by the Department of Corrections. “We were hoping for a stiffer sentence,” said Assistant Coos County Attorney John McCormick who pros-

ecuted the case. McCormick said that inmates convicted of sex crimes generally have to complete the ordered sexual offender treatment program in order to serve only their minimum sentence. Ploof previously “maxed out” a 10-year sentence for a sexual assault after he failed to complete the sex offender treatment at that time. “He failed out twice,” said Assistant Hillsborough County Attorney Michael Valentine. Valentine was responsible for pursuing civil commitment of Ploof under the state’s Violent Sexual Predator statute when Ploof was set to be released in 2007. Ploof had been convicted in 1997 of raping an adolescent boy. Valentine argued successfully for the civil commitment, which was granted by a jury in 2009. Key to that argument was Ploof’s failure to successfully complete the sex offender treatment program. According to news reports at the time, Ploof also claimed to have assaulted 20 to 50 other victims and scored high on a test to gauge his likeliness to re-offend. McCormick said that he had hoped that Ploof’s criminal history would play a larger role in sentencing, but

William Ploof, pictured here in a 2009 court appearance, was recently sentenced in Coos Superior Court, to serve anywhere from 7 to 30 years in the NH State Prison as a result of a conviction for assaulting a juvenile in Berlin, in the early 1980s. (KEN WILLIAMS/CONCORD MONITOR PHOTO)

conceded that the fact that this crime pre-dates his criminal history may have mitigated the sentence. He also acknowledged that having significant additional prison time hanging over

his head may induce Ploof to meaningfully participate in the sex offender therapy offered. Valentine said he was unsure of the see PREDATOR page 10

Light agenda for council Monday night; probably last for a while BY BARBARA TETREAULT THE BERLIN DAILY SUN

BERLIN – Mayor Paul Grenier told city councilors to enjoy the light agenda Monday night as soon the council will move into budget mode with twice a week meetings for most of March and into April. City Manager Patrick MacQueen is scheduled to present his proposed fiscal 2013 budget to the council on March 5. MacQueen reported he has been meeting with departments over the past week to review their budget requests. The council reviewed proposed

changes to the city’s solid waste ordinance as it works on a multi-facet approach to increase recycling by residents and businesses. The council is considering amending the ordinance to include penalties for those who do not separate recyclable items from their household and business trash. The amended ordinance calls for the city to issue a citation carrying a fine of up to $300 to violators who do not respond to at least two warnings. The city would require the violator to pay for private garbage collection until all fines are paid and the violations are corrected.

The ordinance will come up on the council floor for a first reading next month. Grenier directed MacQueen to have city staff look for grant monies to pay for purchasing additional recycling containers to distribute to residents. Councilor Russell Otis suggested the city also develop an informational packet to distribute, outlining the benefits and cost savings to the city and taxpayers of increased recycling. Grenier said he wants to roll out the new ordinance, new recycling containers, and an educational effort all at once.

“I want the public to know we’re serious about it,” he said. Councilor Peter Higbee said he would like to see people get excited about increasing recycling. “I’d like to think there is a way to get people enthusiastic about this,” he said. The city currently recycles about 10 percent of solid waste – a figure well below regional and state averages. Increasing the amount of recyclables removed from the waste stream reduces the solid waste the city sends to the Mount Carberry landfill at a see COUNCIL page 15

City manager questions loss of telephone service for six hours Friday BY BARBARA TETREAULT THE BERLIN DAILY SUN

BERLIN – City Manager Patrick MacQueen Monday night questioned why Berlin and other local communities lost telephone service for over six hours Friday night. MacQueen said he understood the building of a fiber

BERLIN 603-752-FONE (603-752-3663) 410 Glen Avenue

optic cable link through Pinkham Notch three years ago was supposed to eliminate the city losing telephone service when an accident occurs outside the city as it did Friday on Route 2 in Jefferson. Fairpoint Communications spokesman Jeff Nevins said the company

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believes a logging truck cut some of their fiber lines on Route 2 in Jefferson at about 3:45 p.m. Friday. The incident knocked out Fairpoint phone and Internet service to Jefferson, Gorham, Berlin, Milan, and Errol. It also knocked out cell phone service that travels across the Fairpoint net-

work between towers. Service was restored at about 10:30 p.m. MacQueen noted a similar accident in Jefferson a number of year ago left the Androscoggin Valley without phone service for hours. In 2008-09, Fairpoint constructed a fiber optic see QUESTIONS page 15

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