Lynn man found incompetent to stand trial for theft

SALEM – A 50-year-old serial con man from Lynn who allegedly spent more than $1,400 on a credit and debit card shopping spree after apparently stealing the cards from two Salem middle school teachers’ purses has been found incompetent to stand trial.Jerry Stewart, who last lived at 8 Williams Place in Lynn, stands charged with two counts of larceny in a building, two counts of fraudulent use of a credit card and two counts of identity fraud – allegations he has denied.He was recently sent to Bridgewater State Hospital for an evaluation concerning his mental competency to stand trial on the case.In Salem Superior Court Monday he appeared with a report from Bridgewater medical officials who determined he is not competent to stand trial.Judge Howard J. Whitehead ordered Stewart sent back to Bridgewater for six months. He will then be re-evaluated and they will determine if he can stand trial after being medically treated during that time span.Prosecutors say on the morning of July 24, 2006, Stewart entered the Saltonstall Middle School on Lafayette Street and stole a credit card and debit card from two of the teachers’ pocketbooks.At the time, the classes were reportedly empty while the children and teachers were outside during that summer day.For the next two days Stewart apparently went on a low-end shopping spree in Salem and Swampscott at Walgreens, Pep Boys, Stop & Shop, Staples and Hat World, racking up $1,405 before the cards were canceled.However it was months before Stewart was charged as authorities built a case against him, gathering surveillance videos from the stores and interviewing witnesses who apparently saw him in the school, but thought he was a parent.He was arrested in March 2007 and a grand jury handed up the charges against him three months later.Because Stewart was previously convicted of larcenies and credit card thefts, the commonwealth also indicted him as a common notorious thief, allowing for a more severe punishment on the underlying charges.His next scheduled court date in Salem is Sept. 2.Assistant District Attorney Michael A. Patten is prosecuting the case for the commonwealth and Allison T. Bloomquist is his court-appointed defense lawyer.