The following is a news release from the Ninth Judicial District Attorney’s Office:
Ninth Judicial District Attorney, Andrea Reeb, announced that Daryn Merrill, age 26, of Clovis, was sentenced on December 5, 2017, by Judge Matthew Chandler to 10 years in the Department of Corrections with 5 years suspended in favor of supervised probation. Daryn Merrill pled no contest on June 2, 2017 to 17 Counts of Theft of Identity and 4 Counts of Criminal Damage to Property Over $1000. The sentenced was enhanced as the former Marine was found to be a habitual offender from a Larceny which occurred in February 2016.
In September of 2016, Merrill used stolen credit cards; damaged four ATM machines; damaged storage units and a payment drop box. Thanks to the excellent investigation by the Curry County Sheriff’s Office, Merrill was finally apprehended in Melrose, NM, on September 30, 2016.
Judge Chandler stated “The one thing I am afraid of is if you can’t come back to society as a Marine, how are you going to come back as a prisoner? As a marine you come out and people hold the door for you. As a prisoner, people don’t want to be near you. You will have plenty of opportunities to prove yourself, and you will have to make that choice, probably daily.”
The case was prosecuted for the State by Nicholas Rossi, Assistant District Attorney. Criminal Defense Attorney, Sandra Gallagher, of Portales, NM, represented Merrill.
For more information, please contact the District Attorney’s Office at 575-769-2246.
(News release from the Ninth Judicial District Attorney’s Office)
