Peabody man charged with attempted kidnapping, unarmed robbery in Lynn

PEABODY – A Peabody man appeared in Lynn District Court Wednesday on charges that he allegedly attempted to kidnap and rob a woman on Green Street.Freddy Tavares, 30, of 41/2 Sprague St., #2, was charged with attempted kidnapping, unarmed robbery and unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle. He was arraigned in front of Judge James Lamothe, ordered to post $1,000 cash bail and stay away and not have contact with the victim. A pre-trial hearing has been scheduled for June 28.According to court documents, police responded to Green Street around 2 a.m. Tuesday, on a report of a purse snatching. Officers arrived to find a woman on the ground picking up loose change and other articles while a man, later identified as Tavares, stood next to her.When police asked Tavares what was going on, he said he was “just talking to a friend,” but didn’t know her name. Police pat-frisked him and found a green box cutter in his pants pocket. He said the car nearby with the engine running was his girlfriend’s and that he lived in Peabody. When asked why he was in Lynn, he said, “Um, I was lost and I stopped and was asking her for directions.”The victim told police a different story. She said she was walking home from a friend’s house and was approached by Tavares. She alleged that he demanded she get into his car, which was parked a few yards away.As she tried to get away from him, she alleged Tavares said, “You got three seconds to get into the car.” Refusing to do so, the victim said she dialed 911 on her cellular phone and started walking back toward a nearby parking lot of an apartment complex because, she said, she was afraid Tavares was going to pull her into his car.As she walked away, she alleged Tavares got into his car and used it to block the driveway into the complex, got out and went after her. The victim said Tavares demanded she give him her pocketbook and, when she resisted, he allegedly said, “What, you think I ain’t packing a weapon?”The victim said she tried to show him that she didn’t have anything of value in her pocketbook by dumping the contents onto the ground. Police then showed up at the scene.She told police that she feared he was going to kidnap, rape or rob her. At that point, Tavares was placed under arrest and, while being led to the cruiser, allegedly said, “You guys think you’re good cops. You think you caught a real criminal. Are you really going to believe the story of a prostitute over me?”Police noted that shortly before the incident they had seen Tavares’ car parked in the area of Essex Street near a woman who police believed was a prostitute. They attempted to pull him over but he had already driven away.