Spaulding Academy worker charged with stealing medications; substitute harms two residents

Mark Hayward, The New Hampshire Union Leader, Manchester
·1 min read

Mar. 24—CONCORD — A worker at a Northfield home for troubled children was arrested Wednesday and charged with stealing medications and replacing the pills with a substance that harmed two residents, authorities said.

Tilton resident Thomas John Ball Poirier, 39, was working at the Spaulding Academy and Family Services home in Northfield last December when the crimes took place, according to a statement issued by Acting Attorney General Jane Young.

Authorities allege he stole the stimulant Ritalin, which had been prescribed to the residents.

He replaced the drug with an unknown substance, causing "serious bodily harm" to two of the residents, according to the statement.

The theft took place in mid-December. Spaulding reported the matter to Northfield police, the Attorney General said.

Spaulding is a year-round school that offers special education services to children with emotional and behavioral disorders in grades kindergarten through 8. It provides services for people with neurobehavioral disorders up age 21.

Poirier faces several felony charges: first-degree assault, second-degree assault, abuse of facility patients, reckless conduct, obtaining a drug by deceit and drug possession.

The first-degree assault charge carries an enhanced penalty of a 10- to 30-year sentence because the victim is under age 13. The investigation involved Northfield police, the Attorney General Medicaid Fraud Control unit, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Tilton police.

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