Concord, NH - Attorney General John M. Formella announces that Frank Gauthier (age 65) of Somersworth, New Hampshire, has pled guilty and was sentenced in Dover District Court to one Class B misdemeanor count of Disorderly Conduct, contrary to RSA 644:2, III(a).

During the November 5, 2024 State General Election, Mr. Gauthier arrived at the Somersworth Ward 3 polling location after the polls closed at 7:00 p.m. When election workers informed Mr. Gauthier that he had arrived too late to vote in the election, he became disorderly and began shouting and making obscene statements. Mr. Gauthier continued to behave disorderly after election workers asked him to leave.
The State charged Mr. Gauthier with recklessly creating the risk of a breach of the peace, public inconvenience, annoyance, or alarm in the Somersworth Ward 3 polling place during the November 5, 2024 General Election.

As part of a negotiated plea, Mr. Gauthier pled guilty and was ordered to pay a $500 fine with a $120 penalty assessment. Mr. Gauthier was further ordered to complete 50 hours of community service, to write apology letters to Ward 3 Moderator Thomas Curtain and election volunteer Kerry West, and to have no further contact with Moderator Curtain or Mr. West for a period of two years.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant Attorneys General Matthew Conley and Brendan O'Donnell of the Election Law Unit. The investigation into this matter was conducted by Election Law Unit Investigator Cristina Ostrowski and the Somersworth Police Department.