South Boston man arraigned in alleged theft of large safe

Owner, contents remain mystery to authorities

A day after a large safe was found jutting out of the trunk of a Ford Taurus in South Boston, police yesterday were still trying to figure out what is inside.

Police sought a search warrant yesterday to open the safe, but court officials advised them to make an additional effort to find the owner. Meanwhile, the safe is being kept as evidence.

A man charged with trying to break into the safe, James Cotter Jr., 24, was ordered held on $2,500 cash bail following his arraignment yesterday in South Boston Municipal Court, where he pleaded not guilty to one count of receiving stolen property, according to Jake Wark, spokesman for Suffolk District Attorney Daniel F. Conley.

Cotter, from South Boston, was charged Tuesday after he and a friend tried to transport the safe in the trunk of the friend's mother's car at about 10 a.m., authorities said. They caught the attention of local residents, who alerted police.

The safe, which is about 2 feet by 3 feet, was bulging out of the trunk, tied down with rope.

Cotter gave conflicting accounts to police. But witnesses said they were told by Cotter that he found the safe the night before in a garage on Dorchester Avenue in South Boston, according to police reports.

Cotter acknowledged that he tried to open it and that a friend was helping him dump it back in the area where he found it, according to reports.

Wark said Cotter has not cooperated with authorities and was charged primarily because of the condition of the safe.

"There is probable cause to believe a crime has occurred based on the appearance of the safe, which had apparent burn marks on its outer and middle layers of steel as if someone had used an acetylene torch to try to gain access," said Wark.

"The face [of the safe] was not breached. Its contents remain unknown."

Cotter's lawyer, Helene Tomlinson of Boston, did not return a telephone call yesterday seeking comment.