NH State Police Digital Investigator Escapes Jail Time On Computer Pornography Charge: Follow-Up

Michael Pelletier of Hooksett, who was arrested by Nashua police in 2021, received a suspended sentence but must register as a sex offender.

By Tony Schinella, Patch Staff

Aug 13, 2026 12:38 PM EDT

Michael Pelletier was arrested in September 2021 by Nashua police on a single felony computer porn, compile, enter, transmit charge. He pleaded guilty to attempted computer pornography prohibited earlier this year. (Nashua Police Department)

CONCORD, NH — A man from Hooksett, who was formerly a New Hampshire State Police digital investigator, escaped imprisonment after pleading guilty to a felony computer pornography charge nearly five years after being charged, according to court records.

Michael Pelletier, 52, of Harmony Lane in Hooksett, pleaded guilty to an attempted computer pornography prohibited felony count on June 9 after being arrested in mid-September 2021.

After his arrest, he was released on $250 cash bail. Investigatory information about the case was unavailable after his arrest. Prosecutors sealed the affidavit and other court records. Pelletier was indicted on the charge a few months after being arrested.

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From there, the case stalled with a motion to suppress, status conferences, and a jury trial set for July 2022. More status conferences were booked, and a trial date was set for December 2022, but it was canceled again. A second motion to suppress was filed in March 2023. Another jury trial was scheduled for September 2023 but canceled again.

In September 2024, Pelletier's attorney filed a notice of intent to plead guilty. More hearings were held and trial dates booked through 2025.

After a status conference in December 2025, no action was taken on the case for five months. In late May, Pelletier's attorney filed another notice of intent to plead guilty.

According to the sentencing, Pelletier received a 12-month jail sentence, suspended for three years. He is required to obtain a psychosexual evaluation within 120 days and is banned from having unsupervised, intentional contact with anyone under 18, except for his two children.

Pelletier is now featured on the state's sex offender registration list.

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