SALEM – A Lynn man charged with stealing a wallet from an 85-year-old city man on Essex Street this summer remains free on his own personal promise to return to court and was ordered not to have any communication with his accuser pending trial.David M. Pickering, 28, of 22 Ashton Terrace, #2, Lynn, appeared Friday in Salem Superior Court for his arraignment, pleading innocent to a crime of unarmed robbery of a victim over the age 60, a crime that could net him a potential life sentence in state prison.Judge David A. Lowy agreed to release Pickering on no bail as jointly proposed by District Attorney Michael Sheehan and defense lawyer Alice Jayne and continued the case to Nov. 17 for pretrial and motions.In the meantime, Pickering was ordered to stay away from the victim and report weekly to probation pending his trial.The charge arises out of an incident at around 9:30 a.m. on July 13 when the suspect allegedly approached the 85-year-old man on Essex Street, reached into his pant pocket, grabbed his wallet and fled.The victim immediately flagged down a patrol cruiser in the area in front of Essex and Lincoln streets, saying his wallet had just been stolen. He said he had walked to Union Variety, bought a few things and was on his way back to his apartment when the thief, wearing a white tank top, approached him and stuck his hand into his back pocket, grabbed his wallet and took off running towards Chestnut Street.Pickering was later identified by the victim through a photo array.He was arrested later that day by police walking down Ashton Terrace.Pickering apparently admitted taking the wallet and told police he had thrown the victim’s wallet in the parking lot at the Ingalls Elementary School. Police said they retrieved a brown wallet, which was later identified as the victim’s in the school parking lot.