A former state mental health worker is facing new charges alleging that he used the internet to solicit two girls for sex and sent them sexually explicit photographs and videos.
Brandon Aubin, 36, of Concord was recently indicted on five counts each of certain uses of computer services prohibited and indecent exposure and lewdness. A Merrimack County grand jury also handed up three indictments accusing Aubin of endangering the welfare of the two girls, both of whom were under the age of 16 at the time.
Aubin, who was employed by New Hampshire Hospital when the alleged conduct occurred, was taken into custody by Concord police in October. He was initially charged with eight counts of transmitting a lewd image to a child under the age of 16, and two counts each of certain uses of computer services prohibited and endangering the welfare of a child.
Concord police allege Aubin communicated with the girls over messaging applications available through Facebook between November 2018 and June 2019.
The department’s investigation of Aubin began this past July after officers received a cyber alert tip from the New Hampshire Internet Crimes Against Children. The tip suggested that at least one child was in imminent danger, police said.
Facebook had reported that a 36-year-old man appeared to be trying to solicit nude photographs from a child through a private conversation in the messenger application, according to an affidavit prepared by Detective Joseph Chaput. In response, authorities immediately requested that Facebook preserve all communications and also reached out to Aubin’s internet service provider.
In one of the videos sent to the girl, police detectives say Aubin showed his face, which allowed them to further confirm his identity.
On Aug. 2, police executed a search warrant at New Hampshire Hospital and identified a cubicle where they believe Aubin had recorded sexually explicit images of himself, the affidavit says. Officers said they compared objects observed in the background of those photos and videos to those in the office space.
During an interview at the Merrimack County Advocacy Center in Concord in August, one of the girls said she had asked Aubin where he was and he responded, “In a back office (where) no one is.”
Aubin also reportedly told the girls to keep the online communication between them a secret.
New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services spokesman Jake Leon said in October that Concord police notified the department of the allegations against Aubin in summer 2019 and he was immediately placed on unpaid administrative leave. His employment was ultimately terminated on Sept. 13.
Aubin remains incarcerated at the county jail in Boscawen. A dispositional conference in the case against him is scheduled for March 23 in Merrimack County Superior Court in Concord.