Dorchester man pleads innocent to 2009 Saugus home break-in; held on $50G bail

SALEM – A Dorchester man charged with burglarizing a Water Street home in Saugus in 2009 and stealing a handgun and jewelry remains held in lieu of $50,000 cash bail following his arraignment.Joseph Ghella, 46, of 57 Harvest St., Dorchester, appeared Wednesday in Salem Superior Court, pleading innocent to breaking and entering with intent to commit a felony, larceny of a firearm, malicious destruction of property over $250 as well as four counts of being a habitual offender.Judge Timothy Q. Feeley agreed to set the high bail with the option that the defense may seek a bail review at another court hearing.In the meantime, Ghella remains held at the Nashua Street Jail.The charges arise out of an incident on Jan. 4, 2009 when a man entered a home at 23 Water St. in Saugus.The intruder, later identified as Ghella through DNA left at the scene, ripped a safe from the wall inside the home and stole a firearm along with jewelry and electronic equipment.A pillow case was found at the scene with a blood sample which was sent for analysis.The case went unsolved until recently when a DNA profile was matched to Ghella through the state-wide police database, said investigators.Ghella is due back in court on Sept. 8 for a pretrial hearing.Assistant District Attorney Kim M. Faitella is prosecuting the case and Michael P. Hickey is the defense lawyer appointed to represent Ghella, who has been deemed indigent, meaning he has no money to hire his own attorney.The state will pay all costs, but he is obligated to pay $150 towards his legal representation.Ghella also has other pending similar charges pending in Suffolk County, according to reports.