Police have arrested a man with developmental disabilities on charges of indecent exposure and lewdness in connection with an incident at the Peterborough Public Library in May.
Carl E. Wilson, 28, of Temple, was arrested on Thursday at 11 a.m., following police investigation of a report that Wilson had exposed himself at the Peterborough town library on May 24.
“The safety of our patrons and staff is our No. 1 priority, and we have ongoing training and processes in place so we are ready to respond to situations that impacts the safety of the building,” said Library Director Corinne Chronopoulos when contacted about the incident on Friday. “I’m very proud of the staff’s response to this incident.”
Chronopoulos declined to comment further, saying “At this point it is a police matter, and we have every confidence in our Police Department’s handling of the matter.”
At the time of the incident, Wilson was an employee of the Peterborough Fire Department, having been employed as a recruit since 2015, according to Fire Chief Ed Walker in an interview Thursday. Wilson submitted his resignation to the department on Tuesday.
According to Walker, Wilson had been with the department through a program at Monadnock Developmental Services which works with people with developmental disabilities, such as severe learning disabilities, autism and acquired brain disorders, to place them in jobs. Messages left at Monadnock Developmental Services on Friday were not returned.
As a recruit, Wilson was responsible for the same duties as a firefighter would be that did not place him a hazardous situation, including performing station duties or cleaning up after fire calls.
Police Chief Scott Guinard said that when approaching a case involving someone with a developmental disability or other mental health issue, “It’s taken into consideration, with what knowledge we have,” but said whether it will be considered a mitigating factor is a decision that rests outside the police department.
“That decision will be made by the prosecutor and defense attorney,” said Guinard. “They will discuss any potential issues to do with that. Our objective is two-pronged: holding someone accountable for their actions and to fix any potential problems that might be there. It’s not up to us to determine a person’s guilt or innocence.”
Following Wilson’s arraignment, the case will be forwarded to the Hillsborough County Attorney’s office for prosecution.
Hillsborough County Attorney Dennis C. Hogan said in an interview Monday that though he could not comment on a specific case, both the Nashua and Manchester court divisions have mental health court systems.
“If that’s appropriate, the person would be directed there,” said Hogan.
Mental health courts typically focus on keeping a defendant “out of jail or prison and deal with the underlying problem” through court-mandated therapies.
Mental health courts are typically only utilized when a crime is non-violent, said Hogan.
Indecent exposure is not an offense that automatically requires that, if convicted, the perpetrator is required to be registered as a sex offender, said Hogan, but the court could decide to require registration if they believe a person to be a danger to the community or that the action was compulsory.
Wilson was released on $5,000 personal recognizance bail and issued an arraignment date of July 17 at the 8th Circuit Court, Jaffrey. According to his bail conditions, he is barred from entering town properties.