23 Wrote Glowing Letters Of Support For Guidance Counselor Who Sexually Assaulted Student

By JASON SCHREIBER
Union Leader Correspondent

Current and retired professors from Plymouth State University, high school guidance counselors, lawyers and psychologists are among the 23 people who wrote glowing letters to a court supporting former Exeter High School guidance counselor Kristie Torbick, who recently pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a 14-year-old student.

The letters, which have now been made public, were submitted by the defense in an attempt to influence the sentencing of the admitted child sex offender, whose strong support from the education and medical professions has sparked outrage.

In his letter of support, Gary Goodnough, a professor of counselor education at Plymouth State University, wrote that he at one time considered Torbick to be “among the top high school counselors in the state.”

Goodnough, who was Torbick’s adviser and internship supervisor during her graduate education at Plymouth, ended his letter by writing that “no benefit to society would be served by incarcerating her.”

The stack of letters is now contained in the court file for the 39-year-old Torbick, a mother of three from Lee who was sentenced on July 9 to 30 months to five years in state prison after she pleaded guilty to four counts of felonious sexual assault on the freshman student in December 2016 and January 2017.

The sentence was lighter than the five to 10 years sought by prosecutors, but came after nearly two dozen people packed the sentencing hearing, with a handful speaking on Torbick’s behalf and some begging Judge Andrew Schulman to be lenient. At one point the teenage victim left the courtroom in tears as Torbick’s supporters spoke and returned a short time later to continue listening.

That strong support has angered advocates for sexual assault victims who fear it will prevent some young victims from coming forward.

“We’re concerned that the outpouring of support on behalf of an admitted sex offender could impact future reporting. Many of the professionals who came forward to defend Torbick’s actions are working in fields where they themselves have access to children and are responsible for the care and safety of kids.

“Every professional that came forward and defended the actions of Torbick should be held to the same standard and it is critical that each of them receive evidenced-based training and education to ensure they are not creating an environment where children are less likely to report sexual abuse,” said Amanda Grady Sexton, director of public affairs at the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence.

The newly released letters revealed more support for Torbick from Bedford High School than just the statement dean of students Zanna Blaney made at the sentencing when she spoke favorably of her experiences working with Torbick, who was employed in Bedford before leaving and joining Exeter in the fall of 2016.

Bedford guidance counselors Alison Mattson and Christine Mulcahey also submitted letters.

“I can think of many examples when Kristie was a fantastic advocate for some of her students, who needed a good advocate in their lives,” Mattson wrote.

Mulcahey described Torbick as one of the best counselors she had ever worked with, saying she was “devoted to teaching students how to be their most healthy, best selves. Kristie has been an honest, caring, school counselor who has worked tirelessly for all students, particularly those that have tremendous need.”

The Bedford School Board has now launched an investigation following public outcry from parents and other community members who feel it sent the wrong message to victims of sexual assault.

Victim called a ‘pursuer’

In her letter, Newfound Regional High School guidance counselor Shelly Philbrick, who spoke at the sentencing and has since faced criticism from her own superintendent, wrote that “to incarcerate Mrs. Torbick as part of any plea bargain would be a sad injustice to her own three children, one of which is only 3 years of age.”

Plymouth doctor Nancy Strapko, an associate professor emeritus and former graduate school health education coordinator at Plymouth State University, wrote a letter in which she detailed her therapy sessions with Torbick, explained the shame she felt for her actions, and how Strapko didn’t think she was a “predator or danger to society.”

“Kristie takes full responsibility for her actions with her ‘victim.’ I put this in parentheses because I am aware that her ‘victim’ was truly the pursuer in this case,” she wrote, in part.

Michael L. Fischler, professor emeritus of counselor education and school psychology at Plymouth State University, wrote that Torbick was a graduate student in his core counselor education course and was his graduate assistant for two years.

“Kristie, through her performance as a student and trusted partner in the delivery of two academic courses, earned my unequivocal support. She performed said ‘roles’ exceptionally well, consistently demonstrating behavior that reflected selflessness, compassion, reliability, self-effacing humor, mindfulness and wisdom. Her commitment to facilitating the intellectual and emotional growth of others was exemplary. Thus, she has earned and receives my unconditional support,” he wrote.
In a statement issued Monday, Plymouth State University spokesman Marlin W. Collingwood said the university “respects the First Amendment rights of students, faculty and staff to express their opinions. The personal opinions of students, faculty and staff are not official positions of the University.

Several letter writers said they met Torbick, a childhood cancer survivor, several years ago while she was a counselor at Camp Ta-Kum-Ta, a camp for children with cancer in Vermont.

Attorney Charlie Buttrey of Schuster, Buttrey and Wing of Lebanon wrote in a letter that he met Torbick when he began volunteering at Camp Ta-Kum-Ta in 2007.

He described her as a “treasure” and said he would be “honored” to speak up for her.

“Kristie is a gem,” he wrote.