FARMINGTON — A Livermore Falls man convicted of aggravated criminal trespassing in 2010 was arrested Tuesday on a probation violation in connection with an attempted burglary on Center Hill Road in Weld.

Franklin County sheriff deputies arrested Jeromy C. Merchant, 31, on a charge of violating probation, after Dixfield police detained him on Route 142 in Carthage.

A resident at the Center Hill Road residence was home Tuesday morning and scared Merchant off before he could break into the house, Franklin County Lt. Niles Yeaton said. The resident gave a description of the person, what he was wearing and the blue vehicle he drove off in. That information was sent to surrounding police departments.

Merchant admitted to deputies during interviews that he committed several burglaries in Weld and Carthage over the past four weeks, Yeaton said.

Some reported stolen items were located in the vehicle, identified and seized by deputies, he said. Merchant has a last known address at Munsey Avenue in Livermore Falls.

“We thank the area law enforcement agencies for their quick response in the apprehension of this suspect,” Yeaton said.

Merchant is being held on the probation hold at Franklin County jail in Farmington and had not been charged on the burglaries as of Wednesday morning. Deputies were working on charges in relation to the burglaries, Yeaton said.

Merchant, who has a criminal history dating back to 2001, pleaded guilty to a charge of aggravated criminal trespassing June 16, 2010. He was sentenced to five years to the Department of Corrections with all of the confinement time suspended, according to court documents. He also was sentenced to two years of probation. Conditions of probation were to refrain from all criminal conduct and violation of federal, state and local laws.

In that case, he was initially charged on a felony kidnapping charge, aggravated criminal trespass, domestic violence terrorizing and violating condition of release. The kidnapping charge, related to a New Sharon incident pertaining to withholding a baby from its mother to get her to return to a residence, was dismissed as was the condition of release in a plea agreement with the state. The domestic assault charge was reduced to a misdemeanor, according to court documents.

Merchant did serve 10 days of the suspended sentence after he admitted to violating probation conditions July 22, 2011.

He still has nearly five years left on the suspended sentence that he could be ordered to serve if he is found guilty of violating his probation.

Merchant is expected to appear in court within the week.

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