Suspects in Saugus drug deal, shooting denied bail

LYNN – A Lynn District Court judge ordered two suspects charged in connection with a Saugus shooting over a botched drug deal too dangerous to be released on bail after a hearing Tuesday.?Based on the information before me, it appears both gentlemen are dangerous,” Judge Albert Conlon said.He then ordered Steven Ferrer, 21, of Salem, N.H. and Jordan James, 18, of Everett, held in the Essex County House of Correction without bail until their probable cause hearing, scheduled for Feb. 16.James and three other men met in Stoneham on Jan. 2 to sell five ounces of marijuana, according to a police report filed in court by Saugus Police Sgt. David Gecoya.Ferrer and James stole the marijuana from Werner Heideriqui and shot Heideriqui in the stomach, according to the report.The alleged theft set off a chase that culminated on Water Street in Saugus, when James allegedly fired three shots out of the car they were riding in and hit one of the men in the other car, Diego Borgas, in the left thigh, according to the report.Both men have pleaded innocent to armed assault to murder and assault charges stemming from the incident. Police also charged James with firearms violations and Ferrer with reckless motor vehicle operation.The prosecution submitted as evidence the police reports of both shooting incidents, as well as Salem, N.H. police reports indicating weapons had been found in Ferrer?s residence and three shell casings found at the Saugus shooting site.Defense attorney Joseph Collins of Salem said witnesses asked to identify Ferrer out of a photo array could not do so and that one man identified him as a dark-skinned man when in fact he is fair-skinned.Collins asked that Ferrer be released on bail and said that he could wear an ankle bracelet, so that he could go home to his girlfriend – who is eight months pregnant and was present at the hearing – and their 17-month-old son, but the judge denied the request.James? court-appointed attorney questioned the credibility of witness accounts and police reports, saying many stories conflicted with one another until police filled in the gaps.?The drug dealers involved are the Commonwealth?s key witnesses in the case and they tell varying stories about who did what,” she said. “Nobody tells what police believe to be the accurate story.”Collins said Ferrer is a certified EMT in Maryland and Massachusetts, and had applied to be admitted to the New England Tractor Trailer School to begin a career as a truck driver.Lynn District Court records indicate Ferrer has an open investigation in another district for allegedly purchasing weapons with the intent to sell them and the prosecution said he had been “less than cooperative with police” in that investigation. James, too, has an open firearms case in Malden District Court.Ferrer wore a red Nike sweatshirt and didn?t talk except to mouth the words “I love you” to his girlfriend. James wore a plain white T-shirt and did not appear to have any family members present.Taylor Provost can be reached at [email protected].