Peabody man cops innocent plea in robbery

SALEM – A Peabody man who was subdued by a 55-year-old concerned citizen with a prosthetic leg after he allegedly robbed a Middleton convenience store of $98 may seek a temporary insanity defense, according to his attorney.Eric F. Homen, 23, of 7 Raymond Circle, Peabody, appeared Monday morning in Salem Superior Court for his arraignment and pleaded innocent to armed robbery and assault with a dangerous weapon.As jointly agreed by the prosecutor and defense, Judge Timothy Q. Feeley set $10,000 cash bail with an order that Homen is to stay away from the convenience store and the store clerk, remain drug and alcohol free, submit to random screenings and report to probation as pretrial conditions.Feeley agreed also to set bail so the defense may have the option for a bail review hearing at another court date and continued the case to June 17 for a pretrial conference.Defense lawyer Kevin Mahoney told Feeley that they are contemplating a “temporary insanity defense.”In the meantime, Homen remains free on the $10,000 cash bail.It was just before 9 p.m. on March 30 when a man, later identified as Homen, walked into the convenience store located at 323 No. Main St. in Middleton, wielding a black handgun and demanding money from the store clerk.Stephen Cornell, 55, a regular customer of the store who has a prosthetic leg, saw what was happening from outside and, when Homen went to flee from the store with the $98, tripped him.Cornell also fell to the ground. But in the meantime, the store owner, Edson Andrade, came out to help. Cornell and Andrade eventually tackled Homen, took his gun, which turned out to be a BB pellet gun, and subdued him until police arrived.A conviction on the armed robbery charge carries a potential life sentence in state prison.Assistant District Attorney Greg A. Friedholm is assigned to prosecute the case for the state.