Concord, NH – Attorney General John M. Formella announces that former Berlin Police Officer Philip Pelletier, age 32, has pleaded guilty to one class A misdemeanor count of violation of privacy, RSA 644:9.

The complaint alleged that on or between January 22, 2019 and February 4, 2019, Mr. Pelletier, while employed as a Berlin Police Officer, took a picture of an adult male, without his consent, while that male was in a patient room at the Androscoggin Valley Hospital in Berlin. Mr. Pelletier was working as a police officer on an overtime shift at the hospital at the time and was supervising the adult male while he was being held pending an involuntary emergency admission to the New Hampshire State Hospital.

On Friday, May 28, 2021, Mr. Pelletier was sentenced to 12 months in the house of corrections, all deferred for one year and then suspended for one year. The deferral and suspension are conditioned on his good behavior, payment of a $500.00 fine, and his completion of 200 hours of community service. Additionally, Mr. Pelletier has agreed not to seek recertification of his law enforcement credentials.

Mr. Pelletier’s law enforcement certification was previously revoked by the New Hampshire Police Standards & Training Council on January 28, 2020.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant Attorneys General Heather A. Cherniske and Joshua L. Speicher of the Criminal Justice Bureau. The initial investigation into this matter was conducted by the Grafton County Sheriff’s Department, and further investigation was conducted by Criminal Bureau Investigator Allison Vachon.