New Hampshire Attorney General Kelly A. Ayotte announces that on Friday, May 30, 2008, Barbara Mack-Keeney of Woodstock, New Hampshire, the former treasurer of the New Hampshire DARE Officers Association, pled guilty in the Grafton County Superior Court to two counts of theft from the Association by misapplication of funds. Judge Vaughn sentenced Mack-Keeney on one charge to a term of twelve months in the House of Correction, with six months suspended, and on the second charge to a term of one to three years in the state prison, all suspended. Mack-Keeney also paid almost $15,000 in restitution, and agreed to be decertified as a law enforcement officer.

The New Hampshire DARE Officers Association (NHDOA) is an independent organization of police officers who assist in the training of DARE officers throughout the State. The organization is separate from the New Hampshire DARE program. The NHDOA funds are not state funds.

Mack-Keeney was the long-time treasurer of NHDOA. She was formerly a sergeant in the Woodstock Police Department, and participated in DARE programs in several towns. Her sentence to the House of Correction starts immediately.