Lynn teen indicted for armed robbery with knife

SALEM – An Essex County grand jury indicted a Lynn teen who allegedly robbed a woman at knife point while she waited for a bus on Boston Street.Claudio Melo, 19, of 54 North Franklin St., faces charges of armed robbery and destruction of property over $250 after Lynn Police Sgt. Michael Kenney witnessed him grabbing a woman?s purse on Boston Street near New Park Street, according to arrest reports. He took police on a chase through several Boston Street backyards toward Franklin Street before they caught and arrested him, the report said.Officers questioned a 40-year-old woman who said she was waiting for the bus on Boston Street when Melo approached her, grabbed her by the back of the neck and, according to Kenny?s report, “pointed a knife at her throat.”Police recovered a folding knife on a nearby porch, according to reports, and Melo initially told authorities he was asking the woman for a dollar, not robbing her.The indictments move the case from Lynn District Court, where Melo pleaded innocent, to Salem Superior Court where he will be re-arraigned.Other indictments returned by the grand jury this week included:Corey Bjork, Lynn, charged with drug possession and distribution and possession of heroin with previous drug conviction.Michael Collins, Lynn, charged with breaking and entering in nighttime and assault.Luz Ferrand, Lynn, charged with trafficking more than 28 grams of cocaine.Luis Franco, Lynn, charged with possession of cocaine and trafficking more than 28 grams of cocaine.Little Macklin, Lynn, charged with three counts of larceny, three counts of breaking and entering in nighttime for felony, resisting arrest, assault with a dangerous weapon (knife) and violating city knife ordinance. The charges stem from various break-ins that occurred between Oct. 10 and Nov. 5 in Lynn.An indictment is not an indication of guilt, it is a legal process that allows a case to be transferred from District Court to Superior Court, which typically results in a more severe punishment.Taylor Provost can be reached at [email protected].