Jury selection begins today in Planet Fitness beating case
Harrison Thorp 7:22 a.m.
DOVER - Jury selection begins today for a Portsmouth man charged exactly one year ago today in the vicious beating of a Rochester Planet Fitness employee as she left work following her shift on June 12, 2017. Jordan C. Lamonde, 23, of 900 Woodbury Av., Portsmouth, could face up to seven years in state prison if found guilty in the assault, which was captured on high-definition surveillance video and released in part and viewed by thousands on social media after police posted it during a lengthy investigation leading up the arrest. Deputy County Attorney Tim Sullivan, who is prosecuting the case, said on Monday that the trial is expected to begin Aug. 2 or 3. He said the prosecution is prepared to call up to seven or eight witnesses. "We'll see how it goes," he said. He said he was aware of no known witnesses for the defense. Lamonde was indicted by a Strafford County grand jury in October. According to the indictment, Lamonde "did recklessly cause bodily injury to (the victim) under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to the value of human life when he struck her with his hands and knee multiple times, and threw her down on to pavement causing bodily injury." After a nearly six-week investigation police finally caught up with did Lamonde at a Portsmouth health facility though they did not release the circumstances under which they responded there. On the night of the attack Rochester Police responded to the gym around 10 p.m. for a report that a woman had been assaulted. "This was a vicious, unprovoked attack that shocked our community, and I am proud to report that the suspect has been identified and apprehended," Rochester Police Chief Paul Toussaint said the day of Lamonde's arrest.
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