Deceased former staff member of New Hampshire detention center faced sexual assault charges before trial

A man who was facing charges of sexually assaulting a teenage boy at a New Hampshire youth detention center many years ago has passed away while awaiting trial, as confirmed by his lawyer on Wednesday. Gordon Thomas Searles, 68, died on Sunday, according to attorney Joseph Fricano. The cause of his death remains unknown, and Fricano mentioned that Searles was anticipating his day in court. Fricano expressed a hope for peace for all parties involved in the case.
Searles was among 11 former state employees who were arrested following a criminal investigation into the Sununu Youth Services Center in 2019. Charges against one of the men were dismissed this year due to incompetency to stand trial. Searles faced three counts of aggravated felonious sexual assault concerning a teenage boy between October 1995 and July 1998. Additionally, numerous lawsuits accused him of physical assault, including an incident where he allegedly held a teen down while another staff member raped him, along with other abusive actions.
Since 2020, over 1,100 former residents have filed lawsuits against the state, alleging various forms of abuse, including physical, sexual, and emotional, spanning over six decades. In a significant trial outcome, David Meehan was awarded $38 million in May by a jury for the abuse he endured, although there are ongoing disputes about capping damages at $475,000. The initial criminal trial is scheduled to commence on August 26 and involves charges against a man for sexually assaulting a teenage girl multiple times at a pretrial facility in Concord.