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The 13th Step
A Big Arrest
00:19:33
Federal prosecutors have charged a fourth person in the vandalism case, a man they describe as a “close, personal associate” of Eric Spofford.
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Transcript12 lines
- [00:13]
A
Hi, this is Barry. Sorry I'm not here to take your call.
- [00:16]
B
Come on, dad. Hello? Mom, they picked up Eric Le Barge. Get out. I won't. Lauren, how are you doing? I don't even know. I'm gonna go over there. Hey, it's Lauren Chuljan and I've got a big update for you about the vandalism. The bricks and spray paint at four different houses all connected to me in my reporting. There's been another arrest, a fourth person. A quick recap since it's been a bit last episode, I told you that three men were arrested and faced federal charges for their alleged roles in the vandalism. Federal prosecutors believe Tucker Cockerline, Michael Wasalchuk and Keenan Seniatin were the guys who actually threw the bricks and rocks and spray painted our houses. My house, my parents house, twice, my news director Dan Barrack's house and an old house I used to live in. But now a federal grand jury has charged a fourth guy named Eric Labarge. And he's not just another guy who threw a brick. The Feds say Eric LaBarge is the person who organized these hits on our houses. Federal prosecutors now say that Eric LaBarge paid those guys to harass us all because of my reporting about Eric Spofford. The thing is, I know about Eric LaBarge. Eric LaBarge is really close friends with Eric Spofford. So yeah, I have a lot to tell you about who LaBarge is and what happened when I saw him in court. And before we get into it, I have to say again that this whole thing is so weird. I'm a reporter, I'm sharing public information with you. But I'm also one of the victims of the federal crimes LaBarge was arrested for. But after three years of reporting and all that's happened in response to it, I know the story best. So Eric LaBarge, he's 46 years old. He's a big guy, wide shoulders, tattoos on his thick arms and legs. I found a video of an interview LaBarge did in 2020 talking about his history with drug use and his journey to recovery. It was for a public access cable show in New Hampshire and by his telling his early teens were spent in and out of reform school, a New Hampshire state run youth detention center.
- [02:58]
A
I went to prison fairly young. I went to prison when I was about 19 years old. I was a full blown. I got into a fight when I was younger and I ended up doing two to seven. It was the first sentence I got.
- [03:17]
B
Labarge says life went on like this for a while. His 20s and early 30s were a constant cycle of drugs, fights, and more prison time.
- [03:26]
A
The longer I stayed in, the more of a convict I became.
- [03:30]
B
Yeah.
- [03:31]
A
The more institutionalized I became, it became home. It still feels a little weird saying that, but it's my truth. When I went, it was almost a comfortable feeling in the back of the cruiser in handcuffs, knowing that I was going back home.
- [03:48]
B
Labarge says he got involved in, quote, some organized crime stuff, and he earned a reputation as a guy who could be violent. Now, I couldn't confirm what he means by organized crime, but Labarge's history of violence certainly bears out. In 2010, Labarge was arrested at a motel in Massachusetts for allegedly stabbing someone multiple times with a soldering iron. The charges were dropped because the victim didn't show up for a court date. Two years later, LaBarge was all over the local news for allegedly beating up his girlfriend while he was driving on New Hampshire's main highway. So, yeah, he's got a violent past.
- [04:30]
A
And I was known for doing favors. I did favors for people with violence, and I did things that most people wouldn't do, and I did that. I wasn't a good person. I can tell you that deep down inside, I had core values.
- [04:45]
B
Yeah, you didn't behave like a good person.
- [04:50]
A
No, no. I had mannerisms. He was always still in there, though, that I could commit, you know, violence very easily in the end. Yep. And today, that's not really something I'm proud of. I clarify that when I'm. When I'm speaking, because some people take that wrong and it's nothing. Well, it's not now that I've done work. No, it's not. Not at all.
- [05:08]
B
This interview was recorded in 2020, but just a few years later, in June of 2022, LaBarge was charged with first degree assault. He allegedly kicked a man repeatedly and threw him headfirst into the pavement. Police say the incident was caught on video. And so when the FBI arrested LaBarge last week, he was actually out on bail for this other assault. Somewhere along the way, Eric Labarge met Eric Spofford. I don't know exactly how they met, but they're tight. They work out together. Eric Spofford has referred to Eric Labarge as his family. Spofford told a website called the New Hampshire Journal that he, quote, worked closely with Eric Labarge to help him overcome his addiction. In the early days of his sobriety, Spofford and LaBarge have posted lots of selfies together online. There's one of them at a monster truck rally, another sitting in Eric Spofford's sauna. The caption on that one was, bros that sweat together stay together. These guys seem to have each other's backs. Spofford once posted a picture of him and labarge, arms crossed in front of a big Spofford Enterprises sign. Spofford added this. You can't find happiness without friendship. Loyalty is a scarce commodity. And when Eric Spofford posted on Facebook about my reporting, calling it fake news, Eric LaBarge was. In the comments, LaBarge wrote, quote, this is the type of stuff that ruins people's reputations. LaBarge suggests that someone should issue an apology. When the feds made their first arrests in June, they actually referenced LaBarge in their criminal complaint, but not by name. He was called subject to. Subject to, they wrote, is a close personal associate of Eric Spofford. The FBI found that LaBarge and Spofford have, quote, various business and financial dealings with each other. The FBI also pulled phone records that show these guys communicate with each other regularly, including around the time of the vandalism. To my knowledge, Spofford has made just one public statement about the vandalism. He said he was, quote, completely uninvolved. But you might remember he also offered a theory. Spofford said, quote, many people in recovery have credited me with saving their lives. Perhaps one of them felt compelled to do these acts in a misguided attempt to defend me. I would never condone it, but I have no control over what other people do. Coming up, I go to court to see labarge. The Moakley Federal Courthouse is in Boston, right on the water. It's a beautiful but intimidating building. My colleague Jason Moon and I decided we'd go together. We showed up about 30 minutes before Labarge was set to appear. As we waited in a hallway outside the courtroom, we were handed a copy of the federal indictment in a manila envelope. We've posted the whole thing on our website, thirteenthsteppodcast.org if you want to read it. There are a lot of new details in there about how the feds believe this went down. Here are some of the highlights. Prosecutors believe that LaBarge coordinated all five incidents of vandalism against me, my news director and my parents. Take the house in Hanover, New Hampshire, for example, the house I used to rent but no longer live in. Prosecutors say Labarge called Tucker Cockerline in April of 2020. Two to discuss vandalizing that house. LaBarge even gave Cockerline the address. Cockerline then spray paints the C word on the front door, throws a brick through the window. And the next morning, the feds say LaBarge texted Cockerline, we good? He wrote with a thumbs up emoji. Cockerline wrote back, all gravy. The feds say Cockerline and LaBarge then met up in person, where LaBarge paid Cockerline $500 for his work. A month later, in May, the feds say LaBarge called Cockerline again. They met at LaBarge's house and discussed vandalizing my house in Massachusetts and my parents house in New Hampshire. Cockerline decided to bring in a friend. He texted Michael Waselchuk, wanna make some cash? Lil spray paint and brick through a window, $500. I got two spots to hit and would like to split the job. Waselchuk writes back, I'm down to do that on May 20th. The feds believe Cockerline vandalized my parents house and Wasellchuk hit mine. Later, LaBarge texts Cockerline, Morning player. Smooth. Cockerline writes back relatively. The feds say Cockerline went to LaBarge's house to pick up $1,000 cash. Cockerline then texts Waselchuck quote, come through when you want your paycheck. It was a lot standing in a federal courthouse, those text messages. But before I could truly process it all, it was time for LaBarge's hearing to start. You can't record audio in a federal courtroom, so I'm just going to tell you what happened. Jason and I walked into a small courtroom and sat down on a bench in the back. A few moments later, we heard a door open on the other side of the room. Labarge walked in, handcuffed and flanked by two FBI agents. He was wearing a white T shirt, basketball shorts and sandals. I looked in his direction and instantly I noticed he was staring right at me. We locked eyes. I leaned back slightly and braced myself. Labarge only broke his gaze when he reached his seat. The FBI agents turned him around and took off the handcuffs. A few minutes later, the judge walked in. This kind of hearing is what's known as an initial appearance. It's pretty quick. Labarge was read his rights. There was some discussion about his next hearing. Labarge seemed totally unfazed by all of this. He talked quietly with his attorney, even laughing once he looked at ease. A federal prosecutor read the charges LaBarge faces one count of conspiracy to commit stalking through interstate travel and using a facility of interstate commerce. Two counts of stalking through interstate travel, aiding and abetting. LaBarge now faces up to 15 years in prison, five years for each charge. Tonight, these four men indicted by a federal grand jury, charged with stalking and accused of vandalizing the homes of two New Hampshire public radio journalists and their families. There was a lot of local news coverage in Boston and New Hampshire. 11 television station repeatedly played the footage of the brick going through my window. But none of the coverage that day included one fact about Eric LaBarge that I've been thinking about a lot. LaBarge owns multiple sober homes in New Hampshire. He works in the recovery field. LaBarge's company is called Starting Point. According to the website, he runs at least seven different houses for men and women in recovery. On the about page of the website, there's a picture of LaBarge wearing a tight Starting Point T shirt. He's crouching down next to a pit bull. And there's some text next to the photo. A message from Eric. Starting Point founder LaBarge writes, if you are looking for a way out of active addiction, I don't care where you've been, what you've done, or how you got yourself into or out of jams. I don't care if you've never worked an honest day in your life. I only care about one thing. Are you willing to become a solid guy? Are you willing to change? Most of us, he adds, come into recovery with no practical adult life experience and no clue about how to be a decent human being. That's okay, he writes. We will teach you. The only other time I've seen LaBarge in person was actually at a conference a year ago. So September 2022. It's called the Cape Cod Symposium on Addictive Disorders. It's a national conference for people who work in recovery. LaBarge was there representing his sober home company. All this to say LaBarge's job is to provide safe, supportive housing for people during one of the most vulnerable times in their lives. And yet two of the guys the feds say LaBarge paid to vandalize our houses, they've struggled with substance use disorder. I'm not entirely sure where the case goes from here. There's some language in the indictment that says the vandalism conspiracy involves, quote, others known and unknown to the grand jury. It's not clear who they mean or if anyone else will be arrested, but if anything big happens we'll be back. The 13th step is reported and produced by me, Lauren Chooljian, mixing production and additional reporting by Jason Moon, who also wrote the music you hear in this show. Editing from Senior editor Katie Collineri, NHPR's news director Dan Baric and Allison McAdam. Sara Plord created our artwork and the website thirteenthsteppodcast.org Sigmund Schutz is our lawyer. NHPR's director of podcast is Rebecca Lavoy. The 13th step is a production of the document team at New Hampshire Public Radio.