State, Salem police sergeant reach plea deal on 2012 vehicle chase case

Paul Feely, The New Hampshire Union Leader, Manchester
·1 min read

Jul. 27—The state and a Salem police sergeant have reached a plea agreement on charges in connection with a 2012 vehicle pursuit that includes 100 hours of community service and a guilty plea to a speeding violation.

On Sept. 17, 2020, a Multicounty Grand Jury indicted Michael Verrocchi, 43, of Methuen, Mass., on one class B felony count of reckless conduct with a deadly weapon, and one class A misdemeanor count of disobeying a police officer.

Verrocchi was off-duty and accused of failing to stop for a police officer on Route 28 on Nov. 10, 2012. Police said he fled and engaged in a pursuit over two miles, during which he ran a red light and avoided spike strips.

Verrocchi also was accused of disobeying an officer, a misdemeanor.

According to the attorney general's office, the incident was uncovered in 2020 as part of a review of the Salem Police Department.

Under the terms of the plea agreement announced Monday by the Attorney General's Office, Verrocchi will complete 100 hours of community service and plead guilty to traveling 60 mph in a 35-mph zone.

If Verrocchi remains on good behavior and successfully complies with the terms of the agreement, the state will agree to dismiss charges of reckless conduct with a deadly weapon at the end of six months. State officials have already agreed to dismiss the charge of disobeying an officer.

Our goal is to create a safe and engaging place for users to connect over interests and passions. In order to improve our community experience, we are temporarily suspending article commenting

Recommended Stories

  • House begins Capitol attack inquiry as Republicans set to boycott proceedings

    Committee established by Pelosi features two Republicans, Cheney and Kinzinger, after McCarthy withdrew his nominees The House voted in May for an independent investigation that would have been evenly split between Democrats and Republicans, but the Senate blocked the move. Photograph: Samuel Corum/Getty Images The much-anticipated House investigation into the January attack on the US Capitol begins on Tuesday, with Republicans set to boycott proceedings in an attempt to undermine any findings.

  • New York mugger thwarted in attack as his pants fall down

    The video shows the man holding on to the robber’s pants to stop him from fleeing

  • LeVar Burton talks about what it’s like to host Jeopardy! — ‘Really, really, really scary’

    LeVar Burton’s quest to become the new host of 'Jeopardy! has been a confident, upbeat effort by the actor and those who rooted him on with a petition drive.

  • More rain to hit China's flood-ravaged Henan province

    Forecasters Monday said more heavy rain is expected in central China’s flood-ravaged Henan province, where the death toll continues to rise. The Henan provincial meteorological observatory said the hard-hit cities of Xinyang, Zhumadian, Zhoukou, Shangqiu, Kaifeng, Puyang, Xinxiang, Hebi and Anyang are likely to see the heaviest downpours.

  • For Hall-bound Jimmy Johnson, Cowboys' Honor Ring can wait

    As Jimmy Johnson looks back on the rocky relationship that abruptly ended his championship run with the Dallas Cowboys, he can laugh now. For Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, the emotions are more complicated, with America's Team mired in a 25-year Super Bowl drought. A power struggle between the two Texas-size personalities resulted in Johnson's departure in 1994 after the Cowboys won consecutive NFL titles.

  • Mena Suvari Recalls ‘Weird and Unusual’ Encounter with Kevin Spacey During ‘American Beauty’

    Suvari said that back when sexual abuse claims surfaced against the actor, "I thought of that day."

  • Meituan Sheds $60 Billion After China Crackdown Fears Deepen

    (Bloomberg) -- Meituan has shed more than $60 billion of its market value over two frenetic trading sessions, after Beijing unveiled sweeping reforms against private-sector companies that darkened the outlook for the world’s No 2 economy.China’s top food delivery company slid a record 18% Tuesday in Hong Kong, on top of a 14% plummet the previous day. Spreads on Meituan’s dollar bond due 2030 rose 16 basis points to 232 basis points, set for the widest on record, Bloomberg-compiled data showed.T

  • Element, a messaging app built on the decentralized Matrix protocol, raises $30M

    Element has picked up $30 million in a Series B round of funding. Matthew Hodgson, Element's CEO and the technical co-founder of the open source, non-profile Matrix protocol, also said that some will be used to continue investing in the company's peer-to-peer architecture to eliminate any need for servers. Cloud revenues grew 300% in the last 12 months, and although the company didn't disclose how much that is in actual money, it's a sign that Element is growing (another reason for taking funding now, even though as co-founder Amandine Le Pape noted, it didn't need it).

  • Woman jailed for stabbing man so hard between the eyes that knife penetrated his brain

    Brittany Stone, 28, was jailed for three years at Nottingham Crown Court for stabbing a man so hard between the eyes that the kitchen knife penetrated his brain.

  • Gunman kills one before being stoned to death

    A gunman in Fort Worth, Texas, opened fire on a group of people, killing one person before being stoned to death.

  • Dad sees ex-wife and her boyfriend at son’s soccer game and kills them, Texas cops say

    A video shows soccer players leaping over a fence for safety as the shooting began.

  • Search intensifies for suspect behind violent Brooklyn mugging

    The search is intensifying for a suspect behind a violent mugging in Brooklyn.

  • NYC woman charged with multiple anti-Asian hate crimes held without bail

    A woman facing multiple hate crime charges for a string of attacks against Asian Americans in New York City was held without bail over the weekend. What she did: Maricia Bell, 25, was arrested on Thursday for allegedly attacking four Asian Americans, beginning in May. All incidents took place in Queens, according to NBC New York. Bell allegedly punched a 24-year-old man in the face, took his glasses and ran off, as per CBS New York.

  • Nazi admirer feared 'imminent antifa attack' when he allegedly shot fleeing woman who stole flag

    An Oklahoma man whose home is adorned with Nazi insignias claimed he is immune from prosecution because he feared an "imminent antifa attack" before police said he shot a fleeing woman who stole one of his flags last June.

  • Man and pregnant woman shot to death at soccer tournament

    A gunman was said to have shot and killed a 28-year-old pregnant mom and her boyfriend before turning the gun on himself on Sunday.

  • Miami-Dade man wanted a postal worker to open his box. He’s charged with attempted murder

    The mail carrier walked up to Charlie Holley’s Florida City townhouse and tried to leave a small box addressed to “Whitey white.”

  • 5 dead, including a sheriff's deputy, in the wake of California standoff

    Phillip Campas, 35, was a five-year veteran of the force and had served as a Marine in Afghanistan.

  • Matt Gaetz’s Future Sister-in-Law Says He’s a Gaslighting ‘Creep’

    Daily Beast/TikTokRep. Matt Gaetz’s future sister-in-law appears to have had more than enough of the Florida congressman, posting three TikTok videos in the last two days slamming him as “weird and creepy” and “a literal pedophile.”Roxanne Luckey—the sister of Gaetz’s fiancée, Ginger Luckey—was sharply critical of the congressman and his treatment of young women, saying she “unfortunately was not surprised” to have learned Gaetz was under federal investigation for sex crimes.In one video Monday

  • Off-duty Border Patrol agent thwarts knife-wielding man

    An off-duty Border Patrol agent in downtown San Diego, California, stopped and apprehended a knife-wielding suspect who charged a bystander near a restaurant, according to the agency.

  • Models shed clothes for annual Bodypainting Day in NYC

    If you happened to stroll by Union Square in New York City on Sunday, you might have been greeted by an unusual sight: people posing nude, their bodies covered in floral designs and stars painted in bright colors. "The idea of the event is really to promote free expression and acceptance of all people, their ideas as artists and also their bodies," said artist Andy Golub, the event's main organizer. It was also a way to celebrate New York City's emerging from the deadly coronavirus pandemic after more than a year of restrictions that forced the city that never sleeps to grind to almost a complete halt.