Man indicted for Marblehead, Saugus armed robberies

SALEM – An Essex Grand Jury returned indictments on a Stoneham man charged with armed robberies of stores in Marblehead and Saugus, according to Superior Court records.Michael Gallela, 31, of 4 Webster Court, was indicted Wednesday on three counts of armed robbery, one count of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and one count of providing a false name to a police officer, according to court records.Saugus Police filed formal charges against Gallela on Feb. 13 in connection with a robbery of the Sheer Convenience Store on Essex Street on Jan. 23. Gallela allegedly threatened the store?s clerk with a knife and stole money from the crash register, according to a Saugus Police report.Marblehead Police also formally charged Gallela with armed robbery, assault to rob a person older than 60 and larceny over $250 on Jan. 29 in connection with a robbery similar to the one in Saugus at Beach Bluff Liquor Store on Humphrey Street on Jan. 19.Both departments filed the charges after Hamilton Police put out a bulletin on Jan. 29 announcing they had arrested two people for an armed robbery in that town similar to robberies in Marblehead and Saugus, according to police reports from both towns. Police used photographs from all three robberies that matched Gallela?s booking photo, as well as evidence seized from Gallela?s car, to determine he was responsible for all three robberies, according to the reports.Indictments are not an indication of guilt, but a legal formality that allows a case to be heard before a grand jury of their peers who decide if the case warrants an indictment, resulting in a jury trial.Taylor Provost can be reached at [email protected].