FARMINGTON — A Livermore Falls man pleaded guilty Tuesday to robbing a Farmington man in his home at 234 Morrison Hill Road, restraining him and stealing about 15 guns, gold and silver coins, a cellphone and jars of marijuana on Feb. 7.

Jeromy Merchant Franklin County Detention Center photo

Jeromy Merchant, 44, pleaded guilty to robbery, kidnapping and theft by unauthorized taking.

He also pleaded guilty to illegal possession of a firearm, which he shot into the air Feb. 8 on Church Street in Jay. The firearm was stolen from the Farmington homeowner the day before.

Merchant entered the pleas at Farmington Unified Court with defense attorney Daniel Dube at his side. He previously pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Justice Nancy Mills accepted the pleas.

One count of robbery and one count of obstructing the report of crime or injury were dismissed in the plea agreement. An Androscoggin County charge of refusing to submit to arrest or detention-refusing to stop was also dismissed.

Assistant District Attorney James Andrews said the proposed sentencing agreement for the robbery and kidnapping charges is 30 years with a maximum of 15 years behind bars, followed by six years of probation. Merchant must pay restitution, along with other defendants, to the homeowner.

The state prosecutor and defense attorney will argue about how much time Merchant will spend in prison at the sentencing hearing, which will be on the February 2025 court calendar.

Sentencing was postponed until the cases of co-defendants Xavior Merchant, Merchant’s son, 19, Joshua Soucy, 43, and Troy Hampton, 31, all of Livermore Falls, and another undisclosed co-defendant are resolved.

Andrews said that if the case had gone to trial, the homeowner would have testified that he had a knock on his door about 11:18 p.m. on Feb. 7. He brought a shotgun to the door and looked out the window but didn’t see a car. He opened the door to two men he didn’t know and someone asking to use a phone because a vehicle ran out of gas. The homeowner would have testified he heard a noise at the back door, turned and was rushed by the two men he opened the door to and was beaten, tied up and threatened with a shotgun, according to Andrews.

Andrews said testimony would have been presented that the shotgun was wrestled away from the homeowner and pressed against his neck to choke him until he lost consciousness. When he woke up he was lying on the living room floor with his hands tied behind his back and the shotgun pointed at his face.

Farmington Police Chief Kenneth Charles would have testified that he interviewed Merchant, who admitted to the robbery and firing a gun in Jay.

Six shell casings were found on the ground on Church Street. Witnesses shown a surveillance video of the shooter identified him as Merchant, Andrews said.

Merchant is being held without bail until sentencing. He is currently serving a sentence on an unrelated crime.