NEWPORT — A former Claremont resident faces four felony charges of aggravated sexual assault involving at least six victims in New Hampshire.
Lance Simons, 55, is alleged to have assaulted victims as young as 6 years old, some with disabilities, dating back as far as 1999, according to the affidavit in support of the charges.
The charges follow a months-long investigation by the Claremont Police Department, which led to his arrest in coordination with Vermont State Police on May 28 in Morgan, Vt., where police say he was residing, according to a Claremont Police news release in May.
Following his arrest, police stated he was lodged at Northern State Correctional Facility in Newport, Vt., on a fugitive from justice charge and in lieu of $50,000 bail.
He was transferred to Sullivan County Jail in Unity on June 1 and remains incarcerated there, according to the inmate locator website VINElink.
Simons entered no plea to the New Hampshire charges in Claremont District Court on June 2.
On June 9, the court found probable cause in two separate dockets totaling the four felony charges and both cases were subsequently bound over to Sullivan Superior Court in Newport.
Each felony charge of aggravated felonious sexual assault carries a penalty of between 10 and 20 years in prison.
Voice messages left for Sullivan County Attorney Christine Hilliard, who is prosecuting the case, and Simons’ attorney, Richard Guerriero, were not immediately returned on Friday.
The allegations against Simons date back as far as 1999 and as recently as 2020 when he was living in Claremont, Sullivan Superior Court records show.
The affidavit states that his house in Claremont served to provide “respite care” for “developmentally delayed clients” over the years.
Police also established that Simons’ house was also “considered a ‘community clubhouse’ for children in the area.”
A total of six alleged victims spoke with police, according to the affidavit filed by Claremont Police Detective Michelle Dunning.
The first victim who came forward told police that she was sexually assaulted by Simons from age 6 to approximately 15.
Another alleged victim is a “developmentally delayed adult” who told police she was sexually assaulted by Simons when she was around 10 years old, according to the affidavit.
The affidavit includes the following Facebook post from January 2013 that an alleged victim wrote to Simons, not naming him at the time:
“Dear person I hate, words cannot describe how much I hate you,” she wrote. “What gave you the right to ruin my f—g life? … I have to take medications because of you, I’ve been in counseling because of you, I’m afraid of other men because of you. I really wish I could say this to your face and make you feel like a sick, nasty, pathetic coward, but you probably wouldn’t feel a damn thing.”
Simons had no scheduled court dates scheduled as of Friday.
