By Rod Hansen
Staff Writer

A distraught Laura Mackenzie leaves Hillsborough County Superior Court with her mother, Enid, on Thursday, Aug. 10. It marked the teenager’s first appearance in New Hampshire since March, when Laura Mackenzie left the state while awaiting felony shoplifting charges. (The Goffstown News/Rod Hansen)

The Goffstown Police Department is seeking compensation for its efforts in finding missing local teen Laura Mackenzie, the county attorney has said.

“I have received correspondence from Chief (Michael) French requesting compensation, with a dollar value,” Hillsborough County Attorney Marguerite Wageling said.

“It’s something I’ll likely pass along to the defense attorneys,” Wageling said.

Wageling declined to discuss the dollar amount or any specifics of the request.

French was unavailable to comment for this story, but a captain on the police force said the department did spend considerable hours on the case.

“We had one lead detective working on the case, but there were probably half a dozen people in this agency running down leads,” said Capt. Glenn DuBois.

Detective Kevin Laroche led Goffstown’s investigation, though DuBois said himself, Lt. Michael Sullivan and several patrol officers also followed leads in the case.

DuBois recalled following up on reports that Mackenzie was in Rhode Island, or that she may have been abducted in Goffstown.

“We got leads, either from people who thought they saw her or about people who might have abducted her,” DuBois said.

The request for police compensation is the latest twist in a case that has commanded the state’s attention since the Goffstown High School senior went missing on March 8.

Mackenzie, 18, disappeared from her Tipping Rock Road home that day. Unbeknownst to her family, she was scheduled to appear in Manchester District Court on felony charges she’d shoplifted more than $900 worth of clothing and jewelry from the Filene’s at the Mall of New Hampshire in Manchester.

Goffstown police and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Department were the two primary agencies investigating the disappearance, DuBois said.

The search for Mackenzie came to an end on Monday, Aug. 7, when a caller to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office reported seeing Mackenzie in St. Augustine Beach, Fla.

Police found Mackenzie in that city, where she had been working at a local restaurant and driving her car with its original New Hampshire license plates.

Mackenzie waived extradition from Florida and appeared Aug. 10 in Hillsborough County Superior Court for arraignment on the felony shoplifting charges.

“She was pretty emotional, of course. That was the first time she’d seen her father since March,” said defense attorney Jaye Rancourt.

Mackenzie waived formal arraignment that day and pleaded not guilty to the shoplifting charges.

The charges against Mackenzie constitute a Class B felony, punishable by three and a half to seven years in prison, Wageling said.

“There are any number of conditions the court could place on her, ranging from a $4,000 fine, five years maximum probation, to never entering a Filene’s again, to nothing at all.

At her arraignment, Mackenzie’s bail was set at $1,500 cash or corporate surety. Her next court date will likely be a pretrial conference or a status conference, but Rancourt said no formal date has been set.

Although Filene’s had requested the charges be dropped, Wageling said the charges against Mackenzie will stand.

Sitting in the courtroom lobby Aug. 10, Laura’s mother Enid Mackenzie expressed relief at her daughter’s return.

“We’re glad to have her back,” Enid Mackenzie said. “This has been a long, hard time for all of us.”

Mackenzie is currently staying at her parents’ home, Rancourt said. Her bail conditions include weekly meetings with a probation officer, no contact with Filene’s, no traveling outside of New Hampshire without permission and no leaving New England.

The state has not mentioned pursuing fugitive from justice charges against Mackenzie in relation to her disappearance, Rancourt said.