FARMINGTON — A Livermore Falls man accused of robbing and kidnapping a Farmington man on Feb. 7 pleaded not guilty Friday to charges related to the home invasion.
Jeromy Merchant, 43, also pleaded not guilty to a charge of illegal possession of a firearm related to shooting a gun Feb. 8 on Church Street in Jay.
Merchant pleaded not guilty via Zoom from the Franklin County Detention Center to the Farmington District Court to home invasion charges: two counts of robbery, one count of kidnapping, one count of theft by unauthorized taking, one count of obstructing report of crime or injury and one count of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. He was indicted on the charges Thursday.
The homeowner told police he had a knock on his door about 11:18 p.m. on Feb. 7, according to Farmington police affidavit filed in Farmington District Court. He brought a shotgun to the door and checked out the windows but didn’t see a car. He opened the door of his Morrison Hill Road home to someone asking to use a phone because a vehicle ran out of gas. The man said he heard a noise at the back door, turned and was rushed, beaten, tied up and threatened with a shotgun.
The shotgun was wrestled away from him and pressed to his neck and used to choke him until he lost consciousness. When he woke up he was lying on the living room floor and his hands were tied behind his back and the shotgun pointed at his face, the affidavit said.
His silver and gold coin collection, 17 firearms and his phone were stolen. He went to a neighbor to call police, the affidavit said. Farmington police recovered some of the stolen items.
In the Jay case, police responded to a complaint of shots fired in the Church Street area on Feb. 8. Merchant was identified from evidence from a surveillance camera at a residence across the street.
Jay police Cpl. Joseph Sage interviewed two people who identified Merchant as the suspect who discharged a firearm within 15 feet of two apartment buildings at 9 and 11 Church St., according to a Jay police affidavit filed in Farmington District Court.
Merchant admitted Thursday to two probation violations related to a 2022 theft by unauthorized taking or transfer in an unrelated case. Justice Nancy Mills sentenced Merchant to 18 months in that case.
He also pleaded not guilty Friday to refusing to submit to arrest or detention in an Androscoggin County case this year. Bail was set at $100. However, he will remain in jail to serve the 18 months.
Part of Merchant’s release conditions, after he serves his time, is to have no contact with co-defendants in the robbery case, Joshua Soucy, Troy Hampton and Xavior Merchant. The latter is Jeromy Merchant’s son.
The penalty for a conviction on the charges ranges from 364 days in jail up to 30 years in prison for robbery and kidnapping.
