Former Facebook Group Admin Facing 10 Sexual Assault Charges

A former Dover Facebook group administrator is facing 10 charges alleging he sexually assaulted a teenager, court documents reveal.

Lawrence Pilla, 60, of Dover, was an active administrator for The (un)Official City of Dover, NH Facebook group, a site with over 10,000 members, up until a few days prior to his arrest in October.

UPDATE: Lawrence Pilla Hangs Self in Cell After Admitting Sexual Assault

Pilla was originally charged with five counts of sexual assault and was held on preventative detention. He was denied bail in October and an initial evidentiary hearing was held on Jan. 21.

"We don't always have people arrested and held for felonious and aggravated sexual assault cases," Assistant Strafford County Attorney Emily Garod told Seacoast Current. "However, it was our opinion that he posed a risk to the victim as well as himself if he remained in the community. That is why we are continuing to fight for him being held pending trial."

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According to an affidavit, Pilla knew the teenager for multiple years and allegedly began sexually assaulting her at the age of 12, according to a report made with the Division for Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) cited in the document. The teenager is now 16 years old.

"Larry is no longer affiliated with this group in any way, shape or form," page admin Nathan Burnett wrote in an announcement to group members back in October. "We are just as shocked as all of you. A few days ago Larry quietly and without explanation demoted himself as admin from this group and is no longer affiliated with us."

Pilla is facing four counts of felonious sexual assault, five counts of aggravated felonious assault (pattern), and one additional felonious sexual assault charge. According to the indictments, eight of those 10 charges carry maximum sentences of 30 years each, while the other two each carry maximum sentences of 7 years.

A continuation of the evidentiary hearing is scheduled for Friday at Strafford County Superior Court.

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