Ex-state adviser implicated in youth center abuse lawsuits

— The girls at New Hampshire’s youth detention center called their dormitory leader “Peepin’ Dave” because they say he leered at them through a bathroom window. But David Ball, later promoted to chief of operations, also is accused of much worse.

Of nearly 1,000 people who say they suffered physical or sexual abuse at the Sununu Youth Services Center, 20 have accused Ball, who retired in 2014 but continued advising the state on juvenile justice matters until 2021. The allegations against Ball, made in lawsuits against the state, point to a scandal that is not only widening, but also spiraling up the hierarchy.

One woman, who was 14 when she was incarcerated in 1993, said Ball raped her dozens of times — sometimes while she was in a straitjacket — and repeatedly choked her to the point of unconsciousness.

Ball, now 76, is among roughly 150 former staffers who are implicated by former residents in more than 700 lawsuits naming the state as the defendant rather than individual workers.

Ball said he didn’t know until a reporter called him last week that 20 lawsuits filed between October 2021 and January of this year accuse him of physically or sexually assaulting 18 girls and two boys between 1981 and 1999.

“I don’t believe that’s true. I know it isn’t true,” Ball told the AP, saying he never hit or otherwise abused any of the children and that he has not been questioned by police.

The attorney general’s office declined to comment on whether Ball is part of the criminal investigation launched in 2019. Eleven former workers have been charged with either sexually assaulting or acting as accomplices to the assault of more than a dozen teenagers from 1994 to 2007.

Lawyers for the victims have argued Ball and other supervisors fostered a culture of violence and in some cases were abusers themselves.

A resume obtained by the AP lists Ball’s title as chief of operations from 2001 to 2009 and describes him as responsible for overseeing all staff “including motivation and discipline” and “creating and maintaining a safe and secure environment for both staff and residents.” He then spent five years as a field administrator overseeing juvenile probation and parole offices before retiring in 2014.

Within months, Ball joined the federally mandated State Advisory Group for Juvenile Justice. Republican Gov. Chris Sununu abruptly disbanded the group in July 2021 and replaced it with a Juvenile Justice Reform Commission, with nearly all new members. At that point, Ball had not been identified in any lawsuits, but at least one of his accusers had given his name to state police investigators.

Sununu’s spokesperson, Ben Vihstadt, said the governor wasn’t aware of the allegations against Ball when he disbanded the group to bring in fresh perspectives and ensure compliance with rules for receiving federal grants.

“He finds the allegations surrounding David Ball, who was appointed by then-Gov. Maggie Hassan, incredibly concerning, and hopes these allegations are fully investigated,” Vihstadt said.

Hassan, a Democrat now in the U.S. Senate, appointed Ball on the recommendation of the state health commissioner. Her office declined to comment.