FARMINGTON — The fourth of four Livermore Falls men pleaded guilty Monday to charges of robbery and theft that resulted in a 52-year-old resident being tied up and beaten at his residence on Feb. 7 at 234 Morrison Hill Road.

Joshua Soucy Franklin County Detention Center photo

Joshua C. Soucy, 44, pleaded guilty to a charge of robbery and theft by unauthorized taking or transfer. A second charge of robbery and charges of of kidnapping, obstructing report of a crime and violating conditions of release were dismissed in the plea agreement.

The incident began when two men knocked on the front door of the house and said they were out of gas. While the owner was talking with the two men, a knock came at the back door and the two men at the front door charged him, taking away the gun he brought to the door with him, according to a Farmington Police affidavit. He was tied up and threatened with a gun. The gun was used to choke the homeowner, who ended up unconscious at one point. When he regained consciousness and the men had left, he grabbed a hidden gun that wasn’t stolen in the invasion and walked to a neighbor’s to call police. His phone was taken in the robbery.

When Farmington police arrived the victim had blood on his face and ligature marks on his wrists, according to Assistant District Attorney James Andrews.

The four men are accused of stealing about 15 guns, a collection of silver and gold coins, several jars of marijuana, a PlayStation game system and the owner’s cellphone.

A conviction on a robbery charge carries a maximum penalty of  30 years in prison; a conviction on a charge of theft is punishable with up to 20 years in prison.

The sentencing agreement calls for a 20-year sentence, with a maximum of 10 years to be spent in prison. The state prosecutor and defense attorney will argue how much time Soucy will spend in prison. Sentencing for all four suspects is being scheduled for January.

If the case had gone to trial, Andrews said, there would be testimony from a variety of law enforcement and witnesses.

Jeromy Merchant, 44, his son, Xavior Merchant, 20, and Troy Hampton, 31, all of Livermore Falls, previously pleaded guilty to charges in connection to the home invasion.

Jeromy Merchant pleaded guilty to charges of robbery, theft and kidnapping on Oct. 1 in the Franklin County Unified Court in Farmington. His sentencing agreement is 30 years with a maximum 15 years to be served in prison. The state and defense attorneys will argue for the time that he will serve in prison. Andrews asked for what ever is the maximum amount of time to serve on probation after he is released from prison.

Xavior Merchant, 20, pleaded guilty to robbery and theft on Sept. 13.  His sentencing agreement is 10 years in prison with a maximum of five years served followed by four years of probation, according to court documents.  Defense and state attorneys will argue about the time that he will spend in prison.

Troy Hampton, 31, pleaded guilty via Alford plea to robbery and theft on Aug. 2. The sentencing agreement is for 20 years, with a maximum 10 years spent in prison. When he is released he will be required to serve six years of probation. An Alford plea enables a defendant to enter a guilty plea while maintaining their innocence. Attorneys will argue about the amount of time to serve in jail.

All four will be subject to paying restitution, which will be determined prior to sentencing,

Andrews said witnesses would have testified in Soucy’s case that the majority of stolen items were brought back to Soucy’s house on Cargill Street in Livermore Falls. According to one witness, Soucy carried a handgun stolen from the victim.

Andrews said previously that there is a fifth undisclosed co-defendant in the case.