By DAMIEN FISHER, InDepthNH.org
Grafton County officials have been aware of the sexual assault allegations against former Corrections Officer Max Fournier since 2019, though no review of jail policies were undertaken as a result.
Fournier was indicted this week on four felony charges alleging that he sexually assaulted two female prisoners at the jail. He stopped working for the county in May of 2020, while the investigation conducted by the Grafton County Sheriff’s Department was ongoing.
Grafton County Commissioner Wendy Piper said this week that the commissioners were informed of the investigation sometime in 2019, though they took no action at the time.
“At that point this was an allegation,” Piper said.
Fournier was a corporal in charge of training new officers when the allegations came to light.
Piper declined to comment further on the case, saying she has not yet been formally told of the indictments by anyone from the Grafton County Attorney’s Office, nor the Grafton Conty Department of Corrections. The indictments were handed up last week, though they were not made public until Friday.
Tom Elliott, the superintendent at the jail, declined to speak about his department’s response to the allegations, and refused to say if there was any review of jail policies once the allegations became known.
“I’m not going to comment on anything that happened internally,” Elliott said.
The Grafton County Attorney’s Office did not handle the case due to potential conflicts of interest, and instead had the Belknap County Attorney’s Office manage the case.
A relative of one of the victims said Fournier made threats to keep her from reporting the abuse. Fournier had control of nearly every aspect of the women’s daily lives while they were inside the jail.
Alyssa Dandrea, Community Relations Specialist with the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic & Sexual Violence, said people abusing their power is far too common.
“These are very serious allegations. We’ve seen these cases too often in New Hampshire where someone in a position of authority abuses that power to perpetrate sexual violence. It is critical that systems of accountability are in place to prevent abuse and protect the most vulnerable, and that people know if they experience harm that support services and help are available,” Dandrea said.
Fournier is 24 and lives in Vermont. He did not respond to a request for comment on Friday. The indictments allege he assaulted two different female prisoners, called Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2 in the court files. He’s charged with one class B felony for felonious sexual assault, and three special enhanced felonies for aggravated felonious sexual assault. The three aggravated felonious sexual assault charges are enhanced due to Fournier’s position of authority over the woman.
Fournier is currently free, but due in the Grafton Superior Court in North Haverhill next month for his arraignment.