State, Salem Officer Reach Plea Deal; Felony Charge To Be Dropped

SALEM, NH — The New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office has agreed to a plea deal with a police officer from Salem which will lead to the dropping of a felony deadly weapon charge after a high-speed chase with police in November 2012.

Sgt. Michael Verrocchi of the Salem Police Department, who is 43 and lives in Methuen, Massachusetts, has agreed to plead guilty to speeding, a violation level offense.

On Nov. 10, 2021, Verrocchi, who was off-duty at the time, drove a Jeep Cherokee “at a high rate of speed” on Route 28 in Salem and “engaged in a motor vehicle pursuit, failing to stop when signaled to do so by police,” according to the attorney general’s office. Not only running did he run a red light during the incident but he also did not stop when spike strips were laid out on the route. The chase went on for about two miles, according to previous reports on Patch.

After a number of investigations, including an audit of the department and an investigation of a former police chief, the incident was uncovered, and Verrocchi was suspended in February 2019. He was arrested in January 2020 but the AG’s Office. The NH ACLU also sued to access documents involved in the investigations of the Salem Police Department. Verrocchi was also indicted by a grand jury in September 2020 on the felony charge.

As part of the plea deal, Verrocchi has agreed to 100 hours of community service with organizations approved by the state.

“If Mr. Verrocchi remains of good behavior and successfully complies with the terms of this agreement, the state shall enter a nolle prosequi on the count of reckless conduct with a deadly weapon at the conclusion of six months,” Kate Giaquinto, a spokeswoman for the attorney general’s office, said. “The state has (also) agreed to enter a nolle prosequi the count of disobeying a police officer as part of the plea agreement.”

Giaquinto would not comment on whether or not the deal limits Verrocchi’s future employment with a police department, pointing to the department’s documents posted online, which makes no mention of his employment status or certification.

Chief Joel Dolan of the Salem Police Department did not offer comment about the case but did confirm Verrocchi has been on unpaid leave pending the result of the case.

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