By Tom Dalton
SALEM — The screen door on Michael Kilbride's boat squealed open shortly before 3 a.m. yesterday as the metal frame slid across its sliders. Madison, an African grey parrot, started to squawk.
Kilbride, who lives aboard the 32-foot Pacemaker cruiser with his wife and the family parrot, awoke to both sounds at the Palmer's Cove Yacht Club — and to the frightening sight of a man entering the boat in the dark of night. The Kilbrides started to holler.
"I said, 'Hey, get over here! Where are you going?" Michael Kilbride said.
The shouts frightened the intruder, who, along with two companions, started to flee. The boat owner was right behind, yelling for them to stop. The shouting awakened others who live aboard their vessels at Palmer's Cove.
As the intruders fled along the wooden docks, club members came to the aid of Kilbride, the former commodore of the yacht club.
Somebody yelled that the suspects had just run past his boat. Another person wrapped up a flagpole and gave it to Kilbride for self-defense.
Kilbride, meanwhile, followed the three men to end of the docks.
"I was a little upset," he said.
Fortunately for the Palmer's Cove boat owners, help was nearby. Assistant Harbormaster Wayne Malionek, who also is a club member, was on duty yesterday morning, heard the shouts and came running. He and Kilbride cornered the three suspects at the end of the dock and convinced them to surrender.
The suspects were turned over to Patrolmen Larry Puleo and John Anderson, who arrived within minutes.
Jose Jimilian, 18, of 33 Park St.; Cesar Pimental Jr., 18, of 59 Harbor St.; and a 15-year-old were arrested on charges of trespassing and breaking and entering in the nighttime with intent to commit a felony. All three were scheduled to be arraigned yesterday in court.
"It was an excellent arrest," Harbormaster Peter Gifford said, "and it didn't happen by accident. Wayne has been staking that club out for over a month. The club got hit good on (July 25) and lost a couple of laptops and a plasma TV."
Gifford said he was surprised the suspects didn't try to jump off the dock and swim to shore.
"It was high tide and pitch dark," he said. "They were probably too scared to try."
It is possible, Gifford said, that they were on other boats earlier that night. However, nothing has been reported missing.
Palmer Cove Yacht Club caught the July robbery on a security camera, which police are checking to see if any of these suspects may have been involved in the earlier incident.
Palmer Cove has security cameras in several locations and has been on the alert since the other break, Kilbride said.
"There's a lot of people staying on their boats now just to keep an eye on the place," he said.
