Sleeping driver from Maine arrested after roadside disturbance in West Boylston

WEST BOYLSTON — On Friday, June 27, 2025, at about 11:05 p.m., Officer Paul Riley of the West Boylston Police Department was on patrol when he observed a white Toyota Camry with Maine plates parked on the shoulder of the roadway of Crescent Street.

(The account and quotations in this article were sourced from the printed Personnel Narrative of Officer Paul Riley and do not reflect any political perspective or personal opinion of News Link Live, which is strictly a business entity.)

“I asked dispatch to run the status of the vehicle. At this time, I observed a male sleeping in the back seat of the vehicle,” Officer Riley said.

At this time, Officer Matthew Seymour arrived on scene to assist.

“Officer Seymour and I attempted several times to wake the male party by knocking on the windows and shining our flashlights in his direction,” Officer Riley said. “Once the male party woke from a deep sleep, I asked him to step outside of the vehicle. I observed a gallon jug in the back seat with an unknown orange liquid. The male party was identified as Mr. Joseph Laronde.”

According to police, Joseph Laronde, 62, is a resident of Portland, Maine. Court documents indicate he’s divorced and homeless.

“Mr. Laronde was slow to get out of the vehicle and after several commands, stepped out of the vehicle. Mr. Laronde appeared to be under the influence of intoxicating liquor due to his slurred speech and bloodshot/glassy eyes,” Officer Riley said. “Mr. Laronde appeared to be agitated and kept stating that his vehicle had broken down and was waiting on AAA.”

Officer Riley said that Officer Seymour then asked Laronde if he has contacted AAA, due to an interaction earlier in the day at the same location.

“Mr. Laronde became very upset and stated that all he wanted was to get his car started. Officer Seymour asked who the owner of the vehicle was after discovering that the vehicle was registered under another name,” Officer Riley said. “Mr. Laronde provided a AAA card with someone else’s name on it. I asked Mr. Laronde how he knew the owner of the vehicle. Again, he became agitated and stated that he bought the vehicle two days ago from his friend.”

Officer Seymour asked Laronde for the bill of sale and he stated that he did not have one.

“Officer Seymour advised Mr. Laronde that he could not sleep at the park and pointed to the no trespassing sign approximately five feet from the vehicle,” Officer Riley said. “The sign stated, ‘No Trespassing, Police Take Action, October – April: 8:00 p.m. – 6:00 a.m. and May – September: 10:00 p.m. – 6:00 a.m.”

Officer Riley said that Laronde was asked several times if he knew anyone who could pick him up, due to the fact that the vehicle was disabled.

“Mr. Laronde became agitated again and stated that he wanted AAA to come and fix his vehicle now. Mr. Laronde was advised that the vehicle was not going to be able to get fixed at this time of night,” Officer Riley said. “Officer Seymour offered Mr. Laronde a ride and he stated, ‘I would rather f*ck*ng walk then get in the car with you.’”

At this time, Kevin’s Auto arrived on scene to tow the vehicle.

“Mr. Laronde began to retrieve his items from the vehicle,” Officer Riley said. “After several minutes, Mr. Laronde emptied all of the items from the center console and glove box. Mr. Laronde was refusing to exit the vehicle and stated that we were making a big mistake and that we did not know who we were messing with.”

Officer Riley said that after Laronde calmed down, he walked away from the vehicle and took a left onto Goodale Street.

“Shortly after Mr. Laronde walked away from the scene, he walked back over and began screaming and waving his arms in the roadway,” Officer Riley said.

At this time, Officer Riley said he stopped a vehicle traveling by the scene and advised Laronde to stand on the sidewalk.

“Mr. Laronde was yelling and Officer Seymour told him to keep his voice down, that there was houses in close proximity,” Officer Riley said. “Mr. Laronde kept lashing out and stated, ‘F*CK YOU NOBODY CAN HEAR ME.’”

Officer Riley said that as the vehicle was being loaded onto the tow truck, Laronde removed the keys from his front coat pocket and intentionally activated the car alarm, creating a loud disturbance to nearby residents and passing vehicles.

“Mr. Laronde was yelling and began walking away from the scene. I advised Mr. Laronde to stop,” Officer Riley said. “I placed Mr. Laronde in handcuffs (DL) [double locked] and Officer Seymour advised him that he was under arrest. I searched Mr. Laronde and he was placed into the rear of Cruiser #2.”

Laronde was then transported to the West Boylston Police Station for booking.

“Officer Seymour read Mr. Laronde his Miranda rights,” Officer Riley said. “Bail Clerk Cathy George was contacted and bail was set at $500. At approximately 1:30 a.m., Officer Seymour and I transported Mr. Laronde to the Worcester County House of Correction.”

Officer Riley said that, at approximately 2:00 a.m., he contacted the owner of the vehicle, Vantha [last name redacted].

“[Vantha] advised that he did not know anyone by the name of Joseph Laronde and that he noticed his vehicle missing the day prior but believed that a friend or coworker had the vehicle,” Officer Riley said. “[Vantha] stated that he owns an automobile company and lends his vehicles out frequently. [Vantha] stated that he was not looking to press charges against Mr. Laronde and just wanted to get the vehicle back.”

Joseph Laronde was charged with the following:

• Disturbing the Peace, Subsequent Offense
• Disorderly Conduct, Subsequent Offense

Laronde’s arraignment was scheduled for June 30, 2025 in Clinton District Court.

Disclaimer: If you are wondering why the incident in this story took place in June, that’s because I had to file FOIA request(s) to obtain the court documents. FOIAs are time-consuming.

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