Driving school owner indicted for trafficking

Mar. 3—SALEM, Mass. — A Lawrence man who owned the Merrimack Valley driving school and was indicted on methamphetamine trafficking charges and has been released on bail, according to Attorney General Maura Healey's office.

Michael Larocque, 56, was originally charged Sept. 21 with two counts of trafficking methamphetamines over 200 grams after a lengthy investigation involving local, state and federal authorities.

On Thursday, he was indicted by the Essex County grand jury on the two counts of trafficking methamphetamines over 200 grams. He was additionally charged with one count of illegal possession of a class D substance, one count of trafficking 36 to 100 grams of methamphetamine and one count of illegal possession of a class A substance, according to information provided by Healey's office.

Larocque now faces arraignment in the near future in Salem Superior Court, where the penalties he faces if convicted will be more severe.

He recently made bail, according to Healey's office.

Court records in Lawrence District Court, where Larocque was previously arraigned, did not indicate when he was released on bail, however.

Bail in Larocque's case was previously set at $250,000.

Larocque is a graduate of Central Catholic High School and Merrimack College with strong ties to the area, said attorney Scott Gleason, who represented Larocque at a bail hearing in late October.

"He has nowhere to go," Gleason said. "He doesn't' have any capacity or desire to go anywhere else."

Gleason also said the criminal case presented this far involves questionable evidence and "wild speculation."

At that time, Superior Court Judge Thomas Dreschler refused to lower Larocque's bail.

If convicted of the methamphetamine trafficking charges, Larocque faces a mandatory minimum of 12 years in state prison, according to court papers.

Investigators seized the drugs after executing search warrants at Larocque's 69 Colonial Road home and the North Andover Auto School at 203 Turnpike St., unit 404, according to reports.

At the time of his arrest, detectives said they had made "controlled purchases" of methamphetamines from Larocque's Lawrence home and the school.

While they consider him a major methamphetamine distributor, investigators' reports do not indicate who he is accused of selling the narcotics to other than the controlled buys which were monitored by police.

In the wake of Larocque's arrest, the state's Registry of Motor Vehicles announced they had suspended the driving school's license and started the process of getting refunds for students.

Students enrolled in the driving school attend Andover, North Andover and Haverhill facilities.

Follow staff reporter Jill Harmacinski on Twitter @EagleTribJill.