Manchester Mother Sentenced to Prison for Endangering Her 5 Children

By InDepthNH.org

MANCHESTER, NH — Candace Krauklin was found guilty of one count of Reckless Conduct and five counts of endangering the welfare of her five minor children.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant County Attorney Mark Ryder.

Krauklin was sentenced to 1 1/3 to 4 years at the New Hampshire State Prison for women in Concord. She also received five twelve-month concurrent sentences to be suspended for five years after her release from the prison, according to a news release from the Hillsborough County Attorney.

Krauklin and her husband, Steven Legault, were accused of violating their duty of care and protection owed to their children when the children were discovered to be living in deplorable conditions in the family home. Manchester Department of Public Works (DPW) employees heard a young boy yelling through a barred-up window.

He was yelling for help and saying that he was trapped in a room and could not get out. The DPW workers called Manchester police.

Officers Shannon Jackson and Zachary Simone responded immediately. At the front door, the boy’s father resisted allowing the police into the apartment. When they entered the apartment, they were struck by the stench and squalid conditions. Inside they found five children living in extremely unsanitary conditions.

Thanks to the DPW workers responding to a cry for help from a young child and the diligent work of officers and detectives of the juvenile unit of the Manchester Police Department, these children are no longer in danger. They have since been placed with caring families.

Thanks also to the work of Victim Witness Advocate Merrill Beauchamp for her work with the victims and their grandmother in guiding them through this difficult time.

This article first appeared on InDepthNH.org and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.