Details of Maine prison official’s arrest sealed from public

By Lindsay Putnam, Bangor Daily News Staff

More details surrounding the July 25 arrest of a Maine prison official accused of taking illegal kickbacks from vendors remain unavailable as the affidavit in the case has been sealed from the public. 

Superior Court Justice Patrick Larson granted the state’s motion to impound the affidavit and arrest warrant for Gerald Merrill on July 26. Larson allowed an exception for the documents to be shared with Merrill’s attorney, Walt McKee. The documents are sealed until further notice. 

Affidavits are traditionally made available to the public following a defendant’s arraignment date and describe their alleged conduct. Merrill was arraigned via Zoom from the Penobscot County Jail on July 26. Larson lowered Merrill’s bail from $50,000 to $5,000 and ordered him not to have contact with one person whose relationship to Merrill was not immediately clear. 

Merrill, 61, of Abbot is charged with felony theft and bribery in official or political matters. Merrill is a deputy superintendent at the Mountain View Correctional Facility in Charleston and also works for the Downeast Correctional Facility in Machias, Attorney General Aaron Frey’s office said in a news release. 

He is accused of participating in a “long-running scheme” using state money to purchase products from vendors in exchange for illegal kickbacks, according to the attorney general’s office. The investigation into Merrill began after the state auditor’s office noticed irregular payments on purchase cards under his control. 

Merrill’s next court date is scheduled for Oct. 10.