BRENTWOOD, N.H. (AP) - A former New Hampshire lawmaker who served jail time on charges of drug possession and trying to lure a 14-year-old girl over Facebook into a sexual encounter was back in court after he tried to communicate with the girl’s friend online.
Kyle Tasker, 34, pleaded guilty in 2017 and spent about two years in jail. He was granted work release in March. The Nottingham Republican resigned in 2016.
Prosecutors said Tasker was back online after his release, trying to communicate with the girl’s friend. They asked a judge to impose a six-month suspended sentence.
“We have a grown man sitting in prison specifically because he contacts young women through Facebook,” Rockingham County Jonathan Cowal said. “At his first opportunity to access it again, he chooses to go on Facebook and contact a 19-year-old girl.” This was the only person he knew of who would give him access to the victim’s Facebook account, Cowal said.
Tasker’s defense lawyer Alan Cronheim said there was no evidence that Tasker tried to contact the victim directly and that his sentence should stand, the Concord Monitor reported.
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Information from: Concord Monitor, http://www.concordmonitor.com
Judge Andrew Schulman admonished Tasker but wasn’t sure if he violated his sentencing rules.
“My problem is the difference between ‘could,’ ‘would,’ and arguably ‘probably would’ contact (the victim),” he said. “So I have a series of what I imagine we’ll refer to as serious breaches of prison rules, suggesting that since the time of his arrest, Mr. Tasker’s judgment has not improved one iota, sad to say.”
“I’m just not seeing intent to contact,” said the judge, who said he would soon issue a decision on the motion.
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