FARMINGTON – A local man has been indicted on multiple counts of assault and associated charges in relation to a December 2020 incident in which he allegedly choked two women and threatened to shoot them.
Roger A. Gomes III, 42 of Farmington, was indicted by the Franklin County grand jury on four felonies, including two counts of aggravated assault, both Class B felonies; one count of criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon and one count of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, both Class C felonies; as well as three misdemeanors: domestic violence, assault and violating the conditions of his release. All of the charges stem from an incident which is alleged to have occurred on Dec. 6, 2020, after police responded to a call from a Knowlton Corner Road address at approximately 12:10 p.m.
In an affidavit previously filed with the Franklin County court system, Farmington Police Sgt. Michael Lyman reported that the call was made by a woman who told dispatchers that two other female relatives were being held hostage by “Roger,” who had four firearms and had told them that he would “shoot them if he hears sirens.” Lyman also wrote that he was able to speak directly with the caller, who told him that Roger had choked both women as well as threatened them. She also described a black Mercedes that had picked up one of the women on Saturday.
Lyman indicated in his affidavit that while speaking with the caller, he observed a black Mercedes with Massachusetts plates coming from the direction of the Knowlton Corner Road address. In a statement, police said that Lyman, Officer Ethan Boyd and Officer Jeffrey Brann stopped the vehicle, with Boyd’s K9 indicating the presence of drugs. Police located wax paper containing a yellow/brown substance inside during a preliminary search; that was suspected to consist of 1.2 grams of methamphetamine.
The operator of the vehicle, Martin Ryder, 19 of Maynard, Mass., was arrested on a charge of unlawful possession of scheduled drugs. As of May 11, Ryder remains charged, but not indicted, on the Class C felony.
One of the two women that had been reportedly assaulted was found inside the vehicle. A second woman, identified by police as the second victim of the assault, was located at the Knowlton Corner Road residence. Both women refused treatment at Franklin Memorial Hospital.
Lyman interviewed the woman that had been located in the Mercedes. She said that an argument, first between the two women and then later her and Gomes, had escalated, leading to a physical altercation that concluded with both women being choked by Gomes. The woman told Lyman that she watched the other woman fall unconscious after making a “gurgling” sound and that she also lost consciousness. After regaining consciousness, she said that Gomes had threatened her and that she saw him walking around the residence with firearms, including a long gun and a small pistol, possibly green in color. She said that Gomes had woken Ryder up to give her a ride home in the Mercedes.
Police made contact with Gomes at the residence and arrested him. Per the affidavit, a search warrant executed on the property resulted in police finding three handguns, including a green-colored Ruger pistol, as well as a 20-gauge shotgun. Gomes is barred from owning firearms due to a felony conviction for unlawful trafficking out of Bangor Superior Court in 2009, Lyman noted in the affidavit.
Gomes had two sets of active bail conditions when he was arrested, Lyman wrote, resulting in the violating the conditions of release misdemeanor charge.
An indictment means that after considering the evidence the district attorney has presented, the grand jury believes there is probable cause, or a “reasonable belief” that the crime occurred.
