Dartmouth-Hitchcock Forms Joint Management Committee

Lebanon — Dartmouth-Hitchcock on Tuesday announced formation of a joint management committee to “oversee a portfolio of collaboration initiatives” with two other nonprofit Twin State hospitals in southern Vermont and New Hampshire.

The committee will comprise members of the senior management and governing boards of D-H, Brattleboro Memorial Hospital, a 61-bed hospital in southern Vermont with projected revenue of $76.3 million in fiscal 2016, and Keene–based Cheshire Medical Center, a hospital, and Dartmouth-Hitchcock Keene, a clinic.

The participating providers previously cooperated in oncology, radiology and emergency care. The new committee will look to expand ties in administrative and clinical services and make recommendations “regarding the operationalizing of the collaboration,” a release said.

D-H already is affiliated with Cheshire as its “sole corporate member,” a term used when one nonprofit organization has the final say on the governance, management, finances and strategy of another.

Claremont Man Sentenced In Child Porn Case

Concord — A U.S. District Court judge on Tuesday sentenced a 28-year-old Claremont man to 18 months in federal prison after he pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography, according to a news release from the Department of Justice.

An undercover investigation launched in April 2014 determined James Bednarcyk shared child pornography via the Internet from his Claremont home. A September 2014 search of his computer found about 20 videos and 70 images depicting child sexual abuse. He ultimately pleaded guilty to one count of possessing child pornography, United States Attorney Emily Gray Rice said in the release.

The investigation was part of Project Safe Childhood, a Department of Justice initiative launched in February 2006 to combat the exploitation and abuse of children over the Internet.

Breath Tests TossedIn 25 Vt. DUI Cases

Montpelier — A Vermont judge has thrown out key evidence in 25 drunken driving cases. Judge Howard VanBenthuysen of the Orleans County criminal court says there’s insufficient scientific evidence linking breath tests taken hours after a roadside stop to a driver being drunk at the time of operation.

Defense attorney David Sleigh calls the decision a big victory for DUI defendants who have tried to challenge so called “relate-back” evidence.

— Staff and wire reports