Man Charged on Home Invasion, Armed Robbery Still Held Without Bail

A 20-year-old Danvers male facing home invasion and armed robbery charges continues to be held without bail, following a court hearing last week to determine if he poses danger to the victim and the public.

Michael Pursley, of 5 Charter St. is accused of robbing an acquaintance's apartment on the night of Nov. 8 and then fighting with the victim while wielding a 2- or 3-inch knife at the man after being caught in the act. He is charged with a home invasion, armed robbery and two counts of assault and battery (one with a deadly weapon), following a break-in at the man's Holten Street apartment.

The victim is choosing not to testify in the case, invoking his Fifth Amendment right, and that could jeopardize the strength of the prosecution's case, which is based in part upon the victim's positive identification of Pursley that night. The testimony could be tossed out of court as hearsay if the man doesn't take the stand to corroborate it.

Pursley's lawyer, Sierra Rosen, argues instead the incident was more akin to a drug deal gone badly, as otherwise Pursley would have taken greater pains to disguise himself.

The victim told police he awoke to discover his front door was open and Pursley was standing in the living room clad in black. The man knew Pursley through a mutual friend.

Pursley told the man: "Give me all your money if you don't want to get shanked," according to a police report.

The man eventually handed over $370 to Pursley after being threatened with the knife and the thief then fled the apartment. The victim only suffered scrapes to his neck, according to police. He also told them he saw a second black-clad figure standing in the doorway.

A female witness had called the police station, saying she saw two men wearing black hooded sweatshirts get out of a white Toyota parked on Stone Street.

Police were indirectly alerted to the home invasion, however, about an hour later by the victim's girlfriend, who was present during the break-in but called a friend instead who then called an officer working a detail.

Pursley was arrested the next day after police located the white Toyota at his residence and found one black hooded jacket inside the car and a pocketknife on Pursley. He was arraigned in Salem District Court on Nov. 10 and plead not guilty to the charges.

If convicted, Pursley faces a minimum sentence of eight years in prison if he has no prior criminal record. The maximum sentence is a life term.

A probable cause hearing in the case is scheduled for later this month.