A judge ordered Tuesday that a Loudon man facing burglary and assault charges is too dangerous to be released pretrial.
As a result, Michael Peacan, 25, will remain incarcerated at the Merrimack County jail in Boscawen where he has been held since his arrest last week on charges of burglary, simple assault and criminal mischief.
Police say Peacan broke into a neighbor’s home on Redwood Road and attempted to harm her while she was asleep in her bed on the night of Aug. 14. The woman, who suffered minor injuries, was able to call 911 after fighting off Peacan who then fled on foot to his residence, which is also on Redwood Road in the community’s mobile home park, Loudon police Sgt. Robert Akerstrom testified Tuesday.
An evidentiary hearing was held at the request of defense attorney Jaye Ann Duncan who argued for reduced bail conditions for Peacan, who she says suffers from a severe form of autism and lives with his parents. She said pretrial services and electronic monitoring would help ensure the public’s safety.
Conversely, Assistant Merrimack County Attorney Megan De Vorsey argued that preventative detention should remain in effect given the serious circumstances at play in the most recent case and Peacan’s criminal history, which includes convictions for arson. She described the break-in as a “horrific event” that unfolded in the middle of the night and within close proximity to the victim’s children.
Duncan told the court that Peacan’s parents had previously installed a home security system that alerts them if Peacan tries to leave the residence.
However, his parents told police they had not set the alarm before going to bed on the night of Aug. 14, the date of the break-in.
“The alarm system does seem to be turned on at all other times and does prove to be helpful,” Duncan told Judge Richard McNamara.
She said the Peacans have sold their home and are planning to move by the end of August so their proximity to the scene of the burglary would no longer be a factor.
McNamara disagreed.
“Despite what are commendable efforts by his parents to protect the public, they’ve been unable to do so,” he said.
Police responded to Redwood Road on Aug. 14 at about 12:40 a.m. A woman reported that she was asleep in her bed when she awoke to a man on top of her telling her to be quiet.
She said the man, who was wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt and a ski mask, had tried to cover her mouth with black duct tape and assault her.
Akerstrom testified Tuesday that the woman showed him a large roll of duct tape, an area where the suspect’s shoes had left dirt on the carpet and a Rite Aid card she found in her bedroom. He said a trooper with New Hampshire State Police later learned that the card was registered to Peacan.
In an attempt to locate the suspect, troopers deployed a police dog who led them from the woman’s residence, through a wooded area to Peacan’s home a short distance away.
Akerstrom said Peacan and his father consented to a search of Peacan’s bedroom, where police found a black ski mask, a dark hooded sweatshirt and white sneakers with fresh dirt on them.
According to court records, Peacan had previously assisted the woman when she was locked out of her home. At that time, he had used his Rite Aid card to gain entry through the front door, his mother told police.
Peacan’s criminal record in New Hampshire includes prior convictions for arson in Concord, where prosecutors say he lit trash cans on fire in the bathrooms of the Market Basket on Fort Eddy Road and at the Walmart on Loudon Road in 2013. Subsequently, he was arrested in Arizona for an unrelated arson.