A parolee accused of threatening to kill a man after booby-trapping his Fisherville Road apartment in July is facing new charges.
Jerry Roberts Jr., 35, of Concord was recently indicted on two counts of being a convicted felon in possession of a dangerous weapon. Prosecutors say he was in possession of a hunting knife, as well as a hammer that he used to strike the victim in the head.
A Merrimack County grand jury also handed up indictments against Roberts for first-degree assault, kidnapping and criminal threatening in connection with the same July 15 incident.
Concord police responded to 81 Fisherville Road on July 15 at about 5:30 p.m. after receiving a 911 call from a 65-year-old man who reported that he was “beaten up, tied up, and was just able to get out.” He told dispatchers that the assailants were still inside his apartment, which was booby-trapped.
Authorities said the victim is lucky to be alive after narrowly fleeing the residence, thanks to a box cutter he found and used to cut off his restraints and slash through a curtain nailed over his bedroom window.
The victim gave officers permission to enter his apartment, where they found Roberts hiding and a 14-year-old girl in the living room. Roberts, who was wanted on a parole violation and for failing to report as a sex offender, was taken into custody.
At the hospital, police interviewed the victim. He reported that the 14-year-old, whom he’d previously hired to clean his apartment, was a friend. The man said he didn’t know Roberts by name and didn’t know he was planning to come over that night.
About a half-hour into the visit, the 65-year-old man decided to get up from his recliner and go to bed when Roberts attacked, according to a sworn police affidavit. Roberts allegedly told the 14-year-old to “get the rope around his neck,” and accused the 65-year-old of inappropriately touching the girl.
At some point that evening, Roberts talked to the girl and learned that the allegations of abuse were untrue, causing Roberts to change his demeanor, the affidavit says. Noticing the change, the victim told Roberts he needed to go to the hospital, but Roberts refused. Instead, the girl used peroxide to clean the man’s head and helped him to the bathroom.
The victim reported that Roberts then tied him to a bed.
The man awoke several hours later to find Roberts asleep and seized the moment to escape.
A judge previously ordered Roberts detained without bail pending trial. A dispositional conference in the case is scheduled for Jan. 29 in Concord.