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Former city man faces 15 counts of sexual assault; Police say some offenses happened in Haverhill
Published: May 9, 2007
BRENTWOOD, N.H. - A former Haverhill man who is an elementary school teacher faces charges in two states for allegedly coercing a boy into sexual acts more than 20 years ago.
Kenneth Lang, 60, of Gould Hill Road in Newton, N.H., faces 15 counts of aggravated felonious sexual assault. He is accused of molesting the boy several times in Hampton between June and September 1986, according to indictments made public yesterday.
"The victim recently disclosed this, so it's something he kept hidden or couldn't disclose for many years," said Assistant County Attorney Howard Helrich, the lead prosecutor in the case.
If convicted, Lang could face up to 15 years in state prison on each charge. Lang, who has been working as a music teacher at D.J. Bakie Elementary School in Kingston, N.H., for the last 13 years, was arrested in September by Haverhill police.
Lang lived in Haverhill when he began molesting the boy, according to court documents. An Essex County grand jury indicted him in October on three counts of rape of a child, based on those allegations.
Lang has pleaded not guilty to the Massachusetts charges. He remains free on bail. He has been ordered to have no unsupervised contact with people under age 16.
His lawyer, Gerard LaFlamme of Haverhill, has argued that the Massachusetts charges should be thrown out because they're beyond the statute of limitations. LaFlamme could not be reached for comment yesterday.
A hearing on the matter will be held June 29, according to Stephen O'Connell, spokesman for the Essex County district attorney's office.
Lang has been suspended from his job since his arrest last fall. School administrators have said they don't believe there is any connection between Lang's alleged offenses and the school.
Documents filed in Haverhill District Court say the victim, now 36, told police that he had been molested by Lang between 1978 and 1987. He was 7 years old when the abuse began and about 16 when he was able to break away from Lang, the documents say. The victim first reported the assaults to police on Sept. 8, 2006.
Lang, who met the boy through family friends, would ply the youngster with gifts and trips to Disney World and Hampton Beach in exchange for sexual acts, the documents say.
Kenneth Lang, 60, of Gould Hill Road in Newton, N.H., faces 15 counts of aggravated felonious sexual assault. He is accused of molesting the boy several times in Hampton between June and September 1986, according to indictments made public yesterday.
"The victim recently disclosed this, so it's something he kept hidden or couldn't disclose for many years," said Assistant County Attorney Howard Helrich, the lead prosecutor in the case.
If convicted, Lang could face up to 15 years in state prison on each charge. Lang, who has been working as a music teacher at D.J. Bakie Elementary School in Kingston, N.H., for the last 13 years, was arrested in September by Haverhill police.
Lang lived in Haverhill when he began molesting the boy, according to court documents. An Essex County grand jury indicted him in October on three counts of rape of a child, based on those allegations.
Lang has pleaded not guilty to the Massachusetts charges. He remains free on bail. He has been ordered to have no unsupervised contact with people under age 16.
His lawyer, Gerard LaFlamme of Haverhill, has argued that the Massachusetts charges should be thrown out because they're beyond the statute of limitations. LaFlamme could not be reached for comment yesterday.
A hearing on the matter will be held June 29, according to Stephen O'Connell, spokesman for the Essex County district attorney's office.
Lang has been suspended from his job since his arrest last fall. School administrators have said they don't believe there is any connection between Lang's alleged offenses and the school.
Documents filed in Haverhill District Court say the victim, now 36, told police that he had been molested by Lang between 1978 and 1987. He was 7 years old when the abuse began and about 16 when he was able to break away from Lang, the documents say. The victim first reported the assaults to police on Sept. 8, 2006.
Lang, who met the boy through family friends, would ply the youngster with gifts and trips to Disney World and Hampton Beach in exchange for sexual acts, the documents say.
