A superior court judge appointed by Gov. Maura Healey has ordered lax restrictions on embattled former Western Massachusetts Deputy Director LaMar Cook during his release from custody after posting $25,000 bail as he faces numerous drug trafficking and gun charges.
Hampden County Superior Court Judge Sarah Hamilton lowered Cook’s bail from $75,000 to $25,000, which he posted through a surety payment on Tuesday, ordering that Cook only surrender his U.S. passport and all passport I.D. cards to the court before his release and to obey all federal, state and local laws, according to an Order for Pretrial Conditions of Release form obtained by the Herald.
Hamilton imposed the loose conditions for Cook’s release after he had been held on the higher bail amount for months after his October arrest for allegedly running a cocaine trafficking operation described by state prosecutor Kerry Beattie as “an ongoing enterprise.”
“It appears that he was running a double life. He was conning all these good people. He was conning his community, he was conning the governor’s office,” Beattie said during Friday’s bail arguments at Hampden County Superior Court.
“He was introducing this poison into this community,” she continued, that has wreaked havoc and destroyed lives, “and it all starts somewhere, and it started with Mr. Cook and his associates.”
Additional details of Cook’s alleged cocaine trafficking operation were revealed in court Friday, including that investigators found a scale with residues of heroin, fentanyl and cocaine along with common cutting agents like caffeine in Healey’s western Massachusetts office. Police also found a gun in Cook’s bedroom.
While free on bail, Cook will not have to submit to random drug testing or comply with electronic monitoring — two options on the form left unchecked by Hamilton. He is also allowed to leave Massachusetts and is not subject to home confinement, also unchecked options.
This as Cook also has a history of gun violence, with reports showing his 2001 arrest in connection with a shooting in Springfield, where he and another man allegedly got out of a car and began firing at people on a nearby porch. He was charged, along with two others, with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, discharging a handgun within 500 feet of a dwelling and unlicensed possession of a firearm.
Hamilton was appointed to the Superior Court by Healey in 2024 after spending nearly 16 years as a criminal defense attorney, having spent her entire legal career with the Public Defender Division of the Committee for Public Counsel Services, according to the state’s official website. She earned her B.A. from Northeastern University before graduating from Northeastern’s School of Law.
“Both of these attorneys will make our court systems fairer and more just, and I am thrilled to nominate them,” Healey said in a 2024 press release highlighting Hamilton’s and another attorney’s judicial appointments. “They’ve each demonstrated significant depth of knowledge of the Massachusetts justice system and have dedicated their careers to public service. We look forward to working with the Governor’s Council as they consider these two nominations.”
Cook was serving as Healey’s Western Massachusetts deputy director when he was arrested on Oct. 28 after State Police say they intercepted a package containing nearly eight kilograms, or about 18 pounds, of cocaine shipped to his office. He was originally ordered held without bail pending a dangerousness hearing following his arraignment at Springfield District Court.
His case was elevated to the Superior Court level following his indictment Feb. 12 on five charges: trafficking in 200 grams or more of cocaine, conspiracy to violate drug laws — this one with an unidentified “John Doe” co-conspirator — possession of a gun without a firearms identification card, possession of ammunition without a firearms identification card, and unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle.
Gov. Maura Healey immediately fired Cook upon his arrest, calling the allegations against him “a major breach of public trust” and “unacceptable.”
Healey faced backlash in January after the Herald reported that Cook was paid over $31,000 in a contract buyout after he was fired and arrested on the cocaine trafficking charges. The governor’s office attributed the payout to an “error” in the Human Resources Department, adding that the office is actively working to get the money back. The Herald has asked Healey’s office for an update on the effort to reclaim the money.
Cook was paid a total of $130,227 last year, off a base salary of $98,789 and a contract “buyout” after he was fired that totaled $31,439, according to state records.
His next court appearance is scheduled for April 3.
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