OCEAN CITY — An Ocean City man was arrested on serious charges twice in less than two weeks after first allegedly choking his girlfriend to the point she nearly passed out and returning to allegedly assault her once an active protective order was issued.
Around 1:25 p.m. on Nov. 30, Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officers were dispatched to a residence on 5th Street for a reported domestic assault. The 911 caller told police her female neighbor came over to her house after being assaulted by her boyfriend, later identified as Michael Larock, 37, of Ocean City.
The officer met with the victim, who reportedly was upset and crying. The officer noticed the victim’s neck was red and she had difficulty speaking. The victim reportedly told police she walked to the store to get some food around noon. When she returned from the store, Larock was angry because she had not brought him food, according to police reports.
The victim reportedly told police she was speaking on her phone to a man about getting her car repaired when Larock snatched the phone from her hand. The victim told the officers Larock then grabbed a pillow and smacked her across the face with it repeatedly.
According to police reports, Larock then pushed the victim onto a bed and pressed on her neck with both of his hands. The victim reportedly told police Larock pushed down on her neck so hard she had difficulty breathing. During the interview, the officer noted the victim had difficulty speaking because of the pain in her throat. The officer also noted the victim’s entire neck was red along with a scratch on the left side. She also had scratches on her forearm, according to police reports.
Larock had left the scene before police arrived. However, OCPD officers observed him several minutes later walking across the Route 50 Bridge. He was taken into custody and was charged with first- and second-degree assault. He was held initially without bond, but was later released on a $25,000 bond.
On Dec. 9, Larock was arrested again after an alleged altercation with the victim. OCPD was dispatched back to the same residence on St. Louis Avenue for a reported domestic assault. The victim reportedly told police Larock had assaulted her and attempted to steal her phone just prior to their arrival.
The victim had a protective order against Larock issued on Dec. 7 after the initial incident prohibiting him from entering the residence or have any contact with the victim. The victim told police she received a call from a “No Caller ID” phone the night before, and when she picked it up, she recognized Larock’s voice, according to police reports. The victim told police she received 15 more “no caller ID” incoming calls that night.
The next day, around 8:45 a.m., Larock allegedly entered the residence through the opened front door and the victim told Larock to leave because he was in violation of the protective order. At that point, Larock allegedly became angry and attempted to forcibly pull the victim’s cell phone from her hand.
The victim reportedly told police Larock scratched her during the incident and had two lacerations on her hand to corroborate the story, according to police reports. The victim told police Larock then pushed her to the ground and she fell on a cat litter box. There was a broken plastic box on the floor with litter scattered around, according to police reports.
The victim was able to flee to a neighbor’s house and called police. A bulletin was put out and an Ocean Pines Police officer located Larock at a residence in that community. For the Dec. 9 issue, Larock was charged with assault, theft and violating a protective order. After the second incident in as many weeks, Larock was ordered held without bond.
