Merrimack County prosecutors have dismissed armed robbery charges against two Ossipee men previously accused of robbing a homeowner in Concord’s south end during what police called a botched drug deal.
The criminal cases against Nathaniel Wayne Gibbs and Elias Ross Young will not move forward because the alleged victim has since died, Assistant County Attorney Joe Cherniske told the Monitor.
“The state reached the conclusion that it was unable to proceed with the prosecutions against Nathaniel Gibbs and Elias Young without the testimony of the alleged victim,” Cherniske said, noting that the man’s death was unrelated to the robbery case.
Gibbs, 37, and Young, 21, were arrested following an early-morning disturbance Feb. 5 at a home on Dunklee Street. Concord police had received multiple 911 calls from neighbors reporting that someone was screaming from inside the residence.
When police responded, they found a 24-year-old man who had bloody lips, a swollen left eye and marks on his neck. He told police two men had beaten him so badly that he’d lost control of his bodily functions, according to a sworn police affidavit. The man was treated for his injuries at Concord Hospital.
Police said the victim knew Young prior to the incident and that Gibbs and Young were invited into the home. The victim told police he was expecting Young to come over that morning to “smoke some marijuana and hang out.”
After going inside, the victim told police that Gibbs put him in a headlock and began choking him. The victim said he couldn’t breathe and that his vision had gone dark. He told police that both men hit him and threatened him with knives and that he believed Gibbs and Young were going to kill him, according to the affidavit.
Police reported finding a “small amount of blood and several knives” on the kitchen floor. They also found blood on the suspects’ clothing and a knife on Young. Gibbs was also in possession of the man’s wallet, the affidavit says.
In separate court hearings, Merrimack County Superior Court judges had ordered Gibbs and Young detained pending trial due to the perceived danger they posed to the community. They have since been released on the charges. Both men have prior criminal records for misdemeanor-level convictions.
(Alyssa Dandrea can be reached at 369-3319 or at adandrea@cmonitor.com.)