Lynn man who crashed at Building 19 sausage stand has case continued

SALEM – The trial of a 76-year-old Lynn man who crashed his vehicle into a snack stand outside Building 19 in 2005 has been delayed until spring, due to a new defense attorney coming into the case.Edward Salie, who lives with his grandson at 94 Western Ave., was expected to go on trial in January, but due to a conflict with his attorney, he has hired a new defense lawyer, Bernard J. MacCallum of Revere.MacCallum reported to Judge Howard J. Whitehead in Superior Court Thursday morning that he needs some time to get familiar with the case, go over all preliminary trial motions and reports before going to trial.Whitehead scheduled May 14 for the new trial date. He tried to schedule the trial earlier, but because the trial is expected to be a week long and due to conflicting trial schedules already assigned to the prosecutor, it had to be delayed until then.The case stems from an incident on the afternoon of Aug. 1, 2005 when Salie, operating an Oldsmobile, struck a sausage stand in the parking lot of Building 19 at 810 Lynnway pinning Paula Monteleone, 65, of Winthrop, against the building.Monteleone was rushed to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston for severe injuries to her legs.Assistant District Attorney Michael A. Sheehan maintains that Salie was drunk at the time of the accident and that police said they could smell alcohol on his breath as they questioned him.Salie, from the onset, has said through his prior attorney William J. O’Hare, that he lost control of his car and he had not consumed any alcohol that day.He faces charges of operating a motor vehicle while drunk, third offense; operating a motor vehicle with a blood alcohol lever at .08 or above, third offense; aggravated assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, and two counts of operating a motor vehicle negligently while under the influence of alcohol and causing serious bodily injury – charges he has vehemently denied.His next scheduled court date is April 25 for a final pretrial before the trial date.In the meantime, Salie remains under house arrest only to leave the home for court, attorney and medical appointments.