LaMar Cook, ex-aide to Healey accused of trafficking cocaine, is granted bail

LaMar Cook, a former aide to Gov. Maura Healey who has pleaded not guilty to cocaine trafficking and gun charges, has been granted bail.

Hampden County Superior Court Judge William Ritter set a total cash bond of $85,000 Wednesday, according to online court records. Cook was ordered to surrender his passport as a bail condition.

The ruling comes nearly two weeks after a Springfield district court judge refused to grant Cook bail, siding with prosecutors who argued the 45-year-old Springfield resident was a flight risk.

After his arrest on Oct. 28, the governor's office said Cook had been fired "immediately" from his six-figure job as deputy director of Healey's western Massachusetts office.

Investigators with the Hampden County district attorney's office said police seized eight kilograms of cocaine in a "controlled delivery" on Oct. 25 that were destined for the State Office Building where Cook worked. He also faces charges related to a firearm investigators say was found in his bedroom closet, court documents show.

Prosecutors said the seizure of two packages holding about "13 kilograms of suspected cocaine" on Oct. 10 at the Hotel UMass in Amherst led to the investigation into Cook. He pleaded not guilty to all charges in late October.

Reached by phone Thursday afternoon, Cook’s attorney, Kedar Ismail, said his client remained in custody. He's being held at the Hampden County House of Correction.

"Eight-five thousand dollars is nothing to scoff at, and so the family is taking time to get that together," he said.

Ismail expressed gratitude toward Judge Ritter for his bail decision and said the public should note the "juxtaposition" of bail conditions in cases like his client's against that of Karen Read, who was acquitted in a high-profile manslaughter trial in June. She, he noted, was granted cheaper bail on a faster timeline than Cook, despite facing more serious charges.

Ismail said that throughout Cook's career, many families and children "have benefited from his contributions to the community."

Correction: An earlier version of this post inaccurately described the law enforcement action on Oct. 10. It involved the seizure of two packages in one incident, not two separate drug busts. This story has been updated. We regret the error.