SALEM — The trial of two of the three Salem men charged last spring with breaking into dozens of self-storage lockers at a Salem warehouse got under way yesterday, with both prosecutors and defense lawyers urging a Salem District Court jury to use “common sense.”
Curtis McDermott, 20, of 21 Harbor St. and Justin Smith, 24, of 21 Essex St. are facing charges that include breaking and entering, larceny from a building, and possessing burglarious tools, all stemming from the thefts on April 23 and into the early morning of April 24 at Public Storage on Goodhue Street.
A third suspect, Michael Politano Jr., 30, also of Salem, is set to stand trial at a later date.
Prosecutor Lee Hiromoto told the jury in an opening statement that they would be shown videos taken five days before the thefts, showing the three men entering the facility and moving items, that time not wearing masks or gloves.
They would then get to see the surveillance videos from the night of the thefts, showing men with similar builds and gaits arriving in the same truck (owned by Politano) and moving items out of the facility. Those items included a bicycle, a drum set, a grill and boxes.
McDermott’s lawyer, Heidi Shore, told jurors that she doesn’t dispute that McDermott was there five days before the thefts, but said there’s no way anyone can prove that he was there the night the items were taken.
“He’s not identifiable in that video because he wasn’t there,” Shore said.
Peter Fogg, who represents Smith, told jurors that his client is Politano’s brother-in-law and that the two had been there earlier to move Politano’s belongings into storage because he was being evicted. He denied that Smith was anywhere near the storage facility the night of the thefts.
The trial is expected to continue today.
Courts reporter Julie Manganis can be reached at 978-338-2521, via email at jmanganis@salemnews.com or on Twitter @SNJulieManganis.
Probe Begins After Conn. Commuter Trains Crash
NTSB Begins Investigation Into Conn. Train Crash
Lotto Fever Sweeps the Country
Conn. Commuter Trains Collide; 60 Go to Hospital
Coffee Run Leads to Hatchet Hitchhiker Arrest
Fmr. IRS Head Insists No Politics in Targeting
CDC: Fecal Bacteria Common in Swimming Pools
$1 Million in Jewels Stolen at Cannes Film Fest
NM Mom Chases Down Child Abductor
Raw: Crash Sends Car Into Fla. Pool
Raw: Obama Sits Down With Elementary Kids
Raw: Bear Falls From Tampa Tree
Ousted IRS Chief: Errors Not Caused by Politics
Terror Suspect Due in Court in Idaho Friday
Raw: Driver Ejected From Truck, Over Bridge
Could Tobacco Be the Next Biofuel?
Wash. State Releases Draft Rules for Legal Pot
Dying Man's Blinks Lead to Murder Conviction
Officials: Texas Tornado Likely Had 200 Mph Wind
Brothers Arrested in NOLA Parade Shooting
