Salem Police: Derry Man Robbed Bertucci's

A local man was arrested this morning after an armed robbery at the Bertucci’s Restaurant in the Mall at Rockingham Park this morning.

Michael Schwerin, 45, of Derry, was arrested on April 9, 2015, and charged with robbery. He’d expected to be arraigned today.

According to an alert from the Salem Police, the manager of the restaurant called 911 around 7:45 a.m. stating that he was robbed at knifepoint at the store. The manager alleged that the robber was Schwerin, a previous employee at the restaurant for many years, according to police.

“The victim stated the suspect had entered the restaurant through a side door,” according to Lt. Joel Dolan of the Salem Police Department. “The two had coffee and held a casual conversation for approximately 15 minutes when the victim stated he had to start opening the business.”

The victim walked to the office and when he turned around, Schwerin was allegedly “holding a large kitchen knife and demanded a lock box containing cash,” according to the report. Schwerin also reportedly demanded the cash out of the safe. The manager complied with the request and handed over the money, according to Dolan.

The victim then called 911 and dispatchers looked up the make and model of Schwerin’s vehicle and issued an attempt to locate alert. About 15 minutes later, a detective spotted the vehicle driving north on I-93 near Exit 2. Other officers and New Hampshire State Police joined in the pursuit and stopped Schwerin in Windham just before Exit 4.

Schwerin was taken into custody without incident, according to police, and held in the Rockingham County Jail. He’ll be arraigned on Friday.

Editor’s note: This post was derived from information supplied by the Salem Police Department. It does not indicate a conviction. Click this link to find out how to get a name removed from a New Hampshire Patch police report.