SALEM — Friends don't let friends drive drunk. Especially when that friend has borrowed Dad's Cadillac.
A Salem man already facing armed-robbery charges in a string of holdups last fall is back in custody after his arrest on drunken-driving charges.
Andrew Caron, 24, of 26 Monroe Road, Salem, was allegedly behind the wheel of a Cadillac that belongs to the father of one of his friends, Carl Fuller.
Salem police Lt. Conrad Prosniewski said Fuller had loaned a still-sober Caron the keys while they were all at the Salem Willows on Saturday night.
When Caron returned to pick up Fuller and the women who had accompanied them to the park, he was drunk, Prosniewski said.
As they drove and Fuller began to realize that Caron was under the influence, he repeatedly tried to get Caron to pull over.
At one point, Caron did stop the car on Webb Street, but he fought Fuller off when he tried to take the wheel, Prosniewski said.
Meanwhile, Patrolman Gilbert Priddy happened to drive by and saw the chaos inside the Caddy. The two women were also trying to stop Caron.
"Three people were trying to prevent him from driving that car," Prosniewski told the judge.
Priddy asked Caron if he had been drinking. Caron said no. Fuller spoke up and said he had been, then said, "I didn't want him to drive my dad's car."
"Shut up," Caron allegedly told his friend.
Fuller said Caron had tried to go after him from the front seat. As they fought, the car, which was still in drive, inched forward. Priddy had to block the car with his cruiser to keep it from rolling away.
Despite three pending armed-robbery cases, a bail clerk released Caron early Sunday on personal recognizance. When he walked into Salem District Court yesterday morning to be arraigned, Prosniewski asked that he be put in custody and asked Judge Robert Cornetta to revoke Caron's $10,000 cash bail in the three holdups.
Caron is awaiting trial in the Oct. 15 and 22 holdups of the Citgo station on Canal Street and an Oct. 30 holdup at Loring Liquors, at the intersection of Loring Avenue and Canal Street. Police say the holdups were committed with a toy gun, something that was discovered in the final holdup, when the clerk snapped the gun in two.
Defense lawyer John Morris argued that Fuller also shouldn't have been driving that night. "Ask yourself why he's not driving the car," Morris said to the judge. "I don't know. That's a question for another day."
Cornetta set bail for Caron at $1,000 but then revoked his bail in the Superior Court armed-robbery cases for 60 days, which means that even if he can come up with the $1,000 bail, he won't be released from custody.
A status hearing is scheduled for June 29.
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