Day care worker accused of taking nude photos of kids appears in court

A New Hampshire woman who worked at a Massachusetts day care center appeared in federal court Wednesday to face charges that she took sexually explicit photos of children between the ages of 3 and 5 and sent them to a former partner.

Lindsay Groves, 38, of Hudson, New Hampshire, was charged last week with sexual exploitation of children and distribution of child pornography. According to federal investigators, she took nude photos of children at Creative Minds Early Learning Center in Tyngsboro, Massachusetts, in a private bathroom during breaks before naptime and texted them to “an individual with whom she was previously in an intimate relationship.” Court documents show there are more than 2,500 text messages between Groves and the individual.

During a court appearance at the Moakley Federal Courthouse in Boston, several parents were in attendance. One of them started yelling at Groves as U.S Marshals put handcuffs on Groves to lead her away. The parent, who did not want to be identified or go on camera, was escorted out by a U.S. Marshal and a group of people she had been sitting with.

"We just all hope that she is just taken down," said Rosemary Denomme said outside court.

Denomme says her 4-year-old daughter attended Creative Minds up until the allegations came to light. She says she hasn't been told if her daughter is one of the victims. She came to federal court seeking answers.

"As any parent would, you want to grab her, but you don't want to get kicked out," she said. "I came down like any parent would, you want to follow this and I want to fight the fight for my daughter and all those kids."

The judge set a probable cause hearing and detention hearing for Groves on July 13. She remains in custody.

Resources for victims of sexual assault are available through the National Sexual Violence Resources Center and the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 800-656-4673, and Massachusetts provides this list of statewide and resources for sexual assault survivors.

Massachusetts authorities did not identify Groves’ former partner. But according to Nashua police, the same investigation led to the arrest of a former state lawmaker who is charged in New Hampshire with distributing child sex abuse images.

Stacie Laughton, 39, of Derry, resigned from the New Hampshire House in December after being charged with stalking Groves. Court documents do not list an attorney for Groves, and it is unclear whether Laughton has a lawyer to speak on her behalf.

Laughton, a Democrat, has a long history of arrests. In 2012, she was believed to be the first transgender person elected to a state Legislature, but resigned before taking her seat after reports surfaced about her 2008 convictions for identity fraud and falsifying evidence. She successfully ran again in 2020 was re-elected in 2022 to represent Nashua, months after being convicted of repeatedly texting 911 during non-emergencies. She resigned in December after being jailed on the charges related to Groves.

The day care center didn't respond to a phone message, but it has reportedly closed and is cooperating with the investigation.

NBC10 Boston previously spoke with a mother who said her son is one of the victims at Creative Minds. She said investigators showed up at her doorstep Wednesday and had her identify her 3-year-old son in some of the photos.

"There were multiple photos of him in the bathroom where his pants were on his ankles. I broke down into tears," she said.

The mother said her son started behaving differently a few months ago, but she had no idea what was wrong. She said he will never be returning to Creative Minds, but she wants more answers.

"How long was this going on for? Where did these photos go? I want to know who is going to be held accountable," she said.

The case against Groves is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. The U.S. Attorney's Office in Massachusetts is asking members of the public who have questions or concerns regarding Groves to call 617-748-3274.