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A Minot man has been sentenced to serve two years with the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation after pleading guilty to stealing a vehicle and breaking into a residence in Minot.
Brandon Harley Merritt, 26, Minot, entered his change of plea in North Central District Court on May 22 to a count of Class B felony theft-$10,000-$50,000 and a count of criminal trespass-dwelling, a Class C felony. A Class C felony count of preventing arrest was dismissed in accordance with the plea agreement.
The charges against Merritt stemmed from a Feb. 6 incident in which Minot Police responded to a report at a southeast Minot residence of an unknown male entering the home without permission. According to court documents, officers arrived on scene and spoke with the resident, who said Merritt entered his home through an unlocked door. The resident said he told Merritt to leave, but he said he was going to take a shower and that he had already stolen a vehicle.
Officers found Merritt in the residence's bathroom taking a shower and demanded he exit the shower and lay on the ground. According to the affidavit of probable cause, Merritt refused to comply with the officer's orders, even after the officer warned him his taser would be deployed if he did not. Officers ultimately were forced to tase Merritt twice, as he removed the wires and refused to comply with directives. Merritt was eventually subdued and detained by the officers after a brief struggle that damaged the bathroom fixtures.
After Merritt was detained, officers located a 2017 Nissan Murano in the residence driveway and made contact with the vehicle's owner, who said it had been stolen sometime while she was at work. The owner did not know Merritt and had not given anyone else permission to use her vehicle. The Nissan was valued between $11,986-$15,075, according to the affidavit.
District Judge Gary Lee sentenced Merritt to first serve two years of a five-year concurrent sentence, with credit for 106 days already served. Merritt was ordered to complete two years of supervised probation upon release and was assessed $775 in court fines and fees.