Rochester Man Arrested for Being Habitual Offender

A Rochester man was arrested this week on a number of charges after a traffic stop for erratic driving, according to police.

Michael Leighton, 29, of Chamberlain Street in Rochester, was arrested on June 9, 2015, and charged with felony habitual offender, possession of marijuana, and transportation of marijuana.

Editor’s note: This post was derived from information supplied by the Merrimack Police Department. It does not indicate a conviction. Click this link to find out how to get a name removed from a New Hampshire Patch police report.

At around 4:30 p.m., police stopped a motorcycle on Turkey Hill Road near Iris Drive for “erratic operation,” according to Sgt. Brian Levesque of the Merrimack Police Department.

“The operator was identified as Michael Leighton, upon checking his license status the officer discovered that Leighton was a certified habitual offender and should not have been driving,” he noted. “He was placed under arrest for operating as a habitual offender.”

Leighton was also found to be in possession of marijuana so those charges were added. He was held on $10,000 cash bail and was scheduled to be arraigned on June 10.

According to online reports, Leighton has been arrested numerous times around New Hampshire and Maine during the last 10 years.

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