Lynn man indicted for drugs, assault

SALEM – A Lynn man who police say they caught with a quantity of illegal pills after allegedly beating his girlfriend and stealing her car and cell phone has been indicted by an Essex County grand jury.Jamaal Thornton, 28, of 12 Nottingham Court, is charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, shod foot, assault and battery, larceny in a building, larceny of a motor vehicle and trafficking over 28 grams of Class B narcotics.The charges pertain to an incident in Lynn on Jan. 1 when he allegedly beat his girlfriend and then stole her cell phone and car. He was stopped at 9:49 p.m. by Lynn police, who said they discovered a quantity of illegal pills on his person.The indictments handed up now move the case from Lynn District Court, where Thornton has pleaded innocent, to Salem Superior Court where he will be re-arraigned within a few weeks.In the meantime, Thornton remains held at the Middleton Jail in lieu of bail.Assistant District Attorney Jean M. Curran is prosecuting the case for the state.