
Jury finds Haverhill School Committee member not guilty of groping teen
A juror told the station that surveillance video from the convenience store did not corroborate the teen's version of events.
Neither Ferguson nor her lawyer responded to requests for comment from the Globe on Thursday.
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The mother recognized Ferguson from her son's description and alerted police. Officers went to Ferguson's home and arrested her.
According to a police report, Ferguson approached the teen, who was wearing a Halloween mask, outside the store around 7:45 p.m.
The report said Ferguson groped the boy's buttocks when she entered the store and grabbed at his chest when she left.
'Oh, you have nipples,' Ferguson said, according to the report.
The report also said Ferguson called the teen a 'creep' after he told her to go away.
Ferguson did not deny interacting with the teen.
She told police she had been at the store playing Keno and that she had poked the boy in the chest and told him he was 'scary.'
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Ferguson denied any further physical interaction, the report said.
While awaiting trial, Ferguson was released on personal recognizance with a 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew. She was ordered to stay away from minors and had to wear a GPS monitor.
Haverhill Mayor Melinda Barrett and Superintendent Margaret Marotta did not respond to requests for comment from the Globe Thursday.
Ferguson was elected to the School Committee in November 2023.
Ferguson told 97.9 WHAV that she intends to finish out her term with the School Committee, which ends Dec. 31, and does not intend to run for re-election.
Tonya Alanez can be reached at

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