Man charged in home invasion held without bail

HAVERHILL — A Haverhill man who was arrested in connection with a home invasion in Lawrence was held without bail yesterday, pending a hearing today in Lawrence District Court.

Todd Muir, 27, of 2 Blaisdell St., apt. 2, Haverhill, was arraigned yesterday on charges of home invasion, assault with a dangerous weapon and carrying a firearm without a license.

According to Essex District Attorney spokeswoman Carrie Kimball-Monahan, the prosecutor filed a 58A and the judge ordered Muir held so his lawyer can appear. When that happens, lawyers for both sides will schedule a date for a hearing to determine if Muir is a danger to society and should be held without bail, court officials said.

Muir is charged with taking part in a home invasion on Melrose Street in Lawrence early Friday. The victims told police they were able to identify him as one of the two masked intruders who robbed them of $4,000 in cash after recognizing his voice as a family acquaintance who visited their house frequently. Police requested that The Eagle-Tribune not release the victims’ names for their protection.

Police subsequently obtained an arrest warrant for Muir, 27, who was arrested later at his Haverhill apartment by state and Haverhill police.

Police are seeking at least one other suspect in the home invasion, according to Lawrence police Chief John Romero.

A 49-year-old woman told police she was hit in the head with a gun several times before being threatened at gunpoint and dragged by her hair during the invasion. She told police she had no doubt about the identity of the man who ordered her to “Give me the money or I will kill you,” according to police.

The woman told police she was watching television in her living room shortly after 1 a.m. when she heard a knock at the front door. She thought it was a friend. But when she opened the door, she saw two masked men dressed in black, she told police.

“She tried closing the door but her wrist was slapped out of the doorway by the end (butt) of the gun. The door was then forcefully pushed open and the two masked men rushed into the apartment,” Officer Angel Lopez wrote in his report.

Once inside, the man with the gun hit the woman on the head with gun several times and threatened to kill her if she didn’t give them the money, the woman told police.

“The male with the gun forced her upstairs and she led them to the bathroom closet and handed them the pouch containing approximately $4,000 in cash,” Lopez wrote in his report. An ambulance took the woman to Lawrence General Hospital for treatment of her injuries.

In August 2008, Todd Muir and his brother Justin Muir were charged in Haverhill with assault and battery and assault with a dangerous weapon. The two brothers were arrested on their way to court for their mother’s hearing in connection with a fight that left a woman in critical condition at a Boston hospital. The charges against Todd and Justin Muir were subsequently dropped at the request of the Essex District Attorney’s Office.

Kimball-Monahan said their cases were dismissed for lack of prosecution without prejudice due to the fact that the victim or witness did not appear. “Without that testimony, we were unable to proceed,” she said.