Peabody carjacking suspect held on $25G

SALEM – Bail was set at $25,000 cash for a Peabody man charged with carjacking a vehicle from a 56-year-old woman in the downtown area last fall.Todd Ciepiela, 33, last known address of 30 King St., Peabody, appeared Thursday morning for his arraignment in Salem Superior Court, pleading innocent to carjacking and unarmed robbery.As jointly recommended by the prosecutor and defense, Judge John T. Lu set the high bail asked for and agreed to consider a bail review hearing at another court date.In the meantime, Ciepiela will have to come up with $25,000 cash in order to get out of the Middleton Jail pending his trial.The charges arise out of an incident on the morning of Sept. 26 when the victim, a 56-year-old Peabody woman, told authorities she went to the 7-Eleven store at 79 Lowell St. at around 8 a.m.As she began to open the driver’s side door to exit her 2007 light blue Toyota Camry, a man grabbed her, demanding her keys and forcibly pulled her out of the vehicle onto the ground.Then the assailant jumped into her car and drove off westbound down Lowell Street.The woman did not sustain any serious injuries as a result of the incident.Ciepiela was arrested four days later in Revere following a police chase.Ciepiela is due back in court on Feb. 15 for a pretrial conference.Assistant District Attorney Michael Patten is prosecuting the case and Michael P. Hickey is the defense lawyer.