First YDC Criminal Trial Begins in New Hampshire

Former New Hampshire youth counselor Jeffrey Buskey, 60, is on trial facing 21 counts of aggravated felonious sexual assault involving allegations by David Meehan and three other boys held at the Youth Development Center in the late 1990s. Meehan, who was 14 when he entered the facility in 1995, testified that Buskey shifted from a trusted mentor to an abuser and has said the alleged mistreatment contributed to later drug use. Buskey has denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty. Meehan’s accusations prompted more than 1,100 civil lawsuits, a major criminal investigation beginning in 2019, additional arrests and a compensation fund for former residents. A jury awarded Meehan $38 million in a 2024 civil case, but the state is seeking to reduce that award to $475,000, with the matter still under review.