By Shereen Siewert
A 40-year-old Schofield man suspected in a major drug trafficking operation was arrested Sunday after allegedly fleeing from SWAT team members by jumping out of a second-story window, police said.
Marathon County Sheriff Scott Parks, in a news release, said the Central Wisconsin Task Force on Feb. 20 followed up on information developed by a deputy that led investigators to believe that Lawrence E. Lavergne was in possession of a large amount of methamphetamine and was staying in a room at a Rothschild hotel. Lavergne, who is known by the nickname “Gizmo,” was inside the hotel when investigators arrived with a search warrant.
Police say Lavergne suffered minor injuries before being taken into custody.
Investigators searched Lavergne’s room and found 267 grams of methamphetamine, $7,362 in cash, and several items of drug paraphernalia, Parks said.
Lavergne was transported by ambulance to an emergency room for treatment of his injuries and then booked into the Marathon County Jail for the charges of:
- Possess with intent to deliver methamphetamine 961.41(3g)(g)
- Possession of drug paraphernalia 961.573
- Possession of THC 961.41(h)
- Obstructing an officer 946.41 (1)
- Probation Hold
Lavergne will have an initial court appearance on Wednesday, February, 23.
The CWNTF was assisted by the Marathon County District Attorney’s Office and DOC, Probation & Parole. The CWNTF consists of personnel from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Marathon County Sheriff’s Office, Wausau Police Department, Everest Metro Police Department, Wisconsin State Patrol, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, the Army National Guard, and the Wisconsin DOJ Division of Criminal Investigation.
