SALEM – A Salem man who admitted possessing cocaine for a second time was sentenced to a year in jail, but was credited with time served.David Perez, 35, last known address of 300 Washington St., Apt. 15, Salem, was scheduled to go on trial in Salem Superior Court for firing multiple rounds of bullets into a car parked on Wardwell Street in Lynn and a charge of cocaine possession.He was under indictments for using a firearm during the commission of a felony, malicious destruction of property over $250, discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a dwelling and possession of cocaine, subsequent offense, and carrying a firearm without a license in connection with an incident in January of 2009.Assistant District Attorney Melissa Woodard claimed on Jan. 23, 2009 Perez fired multiple shots into a man’s car, a Honda Accord, who was dating his ex-girlfriend, while it was parked in the driveway at 20 Wardwell St. in Lynn.Authorities found five bullet holes in the car from a .22 caliber handgun.Five days later on Jan. 28 police arrested Perez and found a small bag of cocaine in his car as well as a .22 caliber shell casing.Two key witnesses in the case, Angel Valdez, 26, and Natalie Rodriguez, 33, both of Lynn, invoked their Fifth Amendment privilege, telling Judge David A. Lowy that they were refusing to testify in the case.As a result of the two necessary witnesses invoking their Fifth Amendment privilege the commonwealth was forced to drop all the firearm charges, saying the government would not be able to proceed without their testimony.Perez was previously charged with drug distribution in 2000 out of Somerville District Court.Perez still has other charges pending out of North Andover involving drug trafficking and drunken driving charges, which he denies.
