Prisoner Who Died In Concord Secure Psych Unit Identified, Was A Sex Offender

CONCORD, NH — State officials released the name of a prisoner in the secure psychiatric unit who died on Saturday, but the cause of death remains inconclusive.

Around 12:55 p.m., Jason Rothe, 50, a convicted sexual assaulter and sex offender, was involved “in a physical altercation with several corrections officers” at the unit housed at the New Hampshire State Prison for Men campus in a separate area, the New Hampshire Attorney General's Office said Monday. The unit, Michael Garrity, the director of communications for the attorney general, said, is overseen by a medical director.

“After that altercation, corrections officers noticed that Mr. Rothe was not responsive and attempted CPR,” he said.

Concord fire and rescue teams were sent to the unit about nine minutes later for a report of a patient that was unconscious and not breathing.

“Despite those efforts, Mr. Rothe was later pronounced dead at a local hospital,” Garrity said.

An autopsy by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner found Rothe’s manner of death “inconclusive,” pending further investigation.

“The exact circumstances surrounding this incident remain under investigation,” Garrity added.

The corrections department said officers involved in the “use of force” altercation were placed on administrative leave, pending review, on Saturday.

“The Department of Corrections strives to provide adequate and appropriate care to all residents regardless of their history,” the department said in a statement. “Any death of a resident under the care and custody of the department is a tragedy, and the department extends its sympathy to the family of Mr. Rothe.”

According to reports online, Rothe was convicted on sexual assault charges in June 1998. The year before, he was involved in a drug case in Hanover District Court and claimed the probation process violated his constitutional rights. In 2010, he was arrested on a duty to report charge in Sullivan County, but the charge was dismissed later. Rothe also lived in Maine, according to reports online. In one case out of Hancock in 2017, he was jailed for five days on terrorizing, disorderly conduct, and other charges.

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