FARMINGTON — A Livermore Falls man was indicted Thursday on multiple counts of theft and burglary at homes in Franklin County during June and July.

A Franklin County grand jury indicted Jeromy Merchant, 31, on seven felony counts of burglary, seven felony counts of theft, two felony counts of receiving stolen property and one felony count of attempted burglary.

The jury also indicted Merchant on misdemeanor counts of possession of burglary tools and violation of condition of release.

Merchant was accused of committing three burglaries in Jay and one in Perkins Township in June. He also was accused of burglary in Carthage and Weld and an attempted burglary in Weld in July.

Franklin County Sheriff’s Department deputies arrested Merchant on July 10 on a probation violation after they were called to an attempted burglary on Center Hill in Weld. A resident who was home at the time scared Merchant off after he attempted to gain entrance to a house with a screwdriver, according to court documents.

Dixfield police later detained him on Route 142 in Carthage.

In these charges, Merchant entered about 10 homes while out on bail in an unrelated case, and sold and pawned thousands of dollars worth of items taken from them, Assistant District Attorney James Andrews told the court at a bail hearing in July.

Merchant has a long felony record with convictions in 2001, 2003 and 2006, Andrews said. 

Merchant was convicted of aggravated criminal trespassing on July 16, 2010, and sentenced to serve five years in prison, all suspended. He still has nearly five years to serve if he is convicted of the probation violation, Andrews said.

Police in Livermore Falls and Wilton also have charged Merchant in separate incidents. Livermore Falls police charged him with theft of jewelry and cash taken from a resident in July.

Wilton police charged Merchant with two counts of burglary in that town.

Sex-crime charges

The grand jury also indicted David Grover, 53, of Jay on two felony counts of unlawful sexual contact and one felony count of gross sexual assault.

Police say the victim came forward in June to report the incidents which occurred when the victim was between the ages of 9 and 15. They apparently stopped two years ago, Jay police detective Richard Caton IV said.

abryant@sunjournal.com

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