Two more Livermore Falls men arrested in connection to Feb. 7 home invasion on Morrison Hill Road in Farmington

FARMINGTON — Two more men from Livermore Falls have been charged in connection to the Feb. 7 home invasion robbery at 234 Morrison Hill Road.

Troy Hampton Franklin County Detention Center photo

Livermore Falls police officer Michael Adcock arrested Troy A. Hampton, 30, at a Bemis Street residence Friday. He was arrested on the warrant charges of two counts of robbery, one count of kidnapping, and one count each of theft by unauthorized taking or transfer and obstructing the report of a crime or injury.

Co-defendant Xavior Merchant, 19, of Livermore Falls was arrested on the same warrant charges over the weekend, Farmington Police Chief Kenneth Charles said. He is also Jeromy Merchant’s son, another man charged in connection to the home invasion.

Xavior Merchant is serving two, 180-day sentences concurrently at the Androscoggin County Jail in Auburn. He began serving March 1 the theft and assault convictions, unrelated to the Farmington home invasion.

Hampton appeared by Zoom from the jail Monday to the Franklin County Superior Courtroom with Judge Philip Mohlar presiding at the county courthouse.

Assistant District Attorney Ellex St. Pierre requested $30,000 bail for public safety and integrity of the judicial center. Defense attorney Bradley Sica Jr. asked for $500 bail. Both attorneys were on Zoom.

Sica said Hampton has been held on $5,000 bail since his arrest and going to $30,000 bail is a big jump.

“Mr. Hampton has a 6-year-old son in Maine and has other family who live in Maine,” Sica said.

Judge Mohlar found Hampton eligible for a court appointed attorney, but he cannot appoint one now because there are none available Monday to appoint. He told Hampton he will schedule him to appear in court on March 18 and he hopes to have an attorney to appoint.

Mohlar set Hampton’s bail at $30,000 for the integrity of the process and public safety.

Xavior Merchant Androscoggin County Jail photo

Conditions include not possessing or using dangerous weapons, including firearms. Hampton is also subject to random search for weapons and is prohibited from contacting his three co-defendants, Jeromy Merchant, 43, and Joshua Soucy, 43, both of Livermore Falls, and Xavior Merchant, among others including the victim.

All four men face the same charges, except Jeromy Merchant, who has a probation revocation, and Soucy, who has a violation of condition of release.

A conviction on the charges range from 364 days in jail to a maximum 30 years in prison for the robbery and kidnapping charges.

During the Feb. 7 home invasion, the victim answered the door at about 11:18 p.m. He brought a shotgun to the door and checked out the windows but didn’t see a car. He opened the door 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, he turned toward the back door and the two men rushed in, beat and tied him up, and threatened him 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.

According to police Chief Kenneth Charles’ affidavit, a witness who was interviewed said the men had duffel bags of stolen items that were divided up. There was a plan to sell the guns to someone in New York, according to the affidavit filed at the Farmington District Court.

Among the items stolen were the victim’s silver and gold collection, 17 firearms and a Sony PS4 gaming console.

Bail set for the two co-defendants were $50,000 for Jeromy Merchant and $30,000 for Soucy.

During a search of Soucy’s property, several items were recovered, including a Colt 1911 pistol with hostel and a Remington Model 87, 12-gauge shotgun that were believed to be stolen from the victim in Farmington.

The 1911 pistol was in Soucy’s bedroom and the shotgun was secreted within the suspended ceiling in what is reported to be Troy Hampton’s bedroom. Hampton lived at the same address as Soucy at 46 Cargill St., Apt. 4 in Livermore Falls.