The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Evicted family may miss deadline
Merrimans ordered to vacate by Monday but are behind schedule again
TORRINGTON — Things are tense at the Merriman House, also known as the Christmas House.
The deadline for the family to be ejected, or removed, from their home is Monday.
Late Friday, Ron Merriman was packing up a second load of boxes into a U-Haul at the house at 285287 Main St. He said he’s taken one load to a storage container.
“We aren’t going be out of here by Sunday,” he said. “There’s no way. I need another week.”
The home, built in 1900, was auctioned on Nov. 3 for just over $22,800, with the only bid coming from Webster Bank, the mortgage holder.
Records show the family had not paid the $771 monthly mortgage since spring 2017.
At a recent court hearing, Webster Bank, agreed to allow a twoweek extension of the ejection order. It had originally been scheduled for Feb. 21.
Even with the extension, the ordeal of clearing out nearly four decades of accumulated possessions has left the family
“We aren’t going to be out of here by Sunday . ... I need another week.”
Ron Merriman
members frayed.
That’s on top of an already strained relationship, according to both Ron Merriman and his sister, Donna Merriman.
Things got heated in late February when Ron and his nephew, Corey Merriman, nearly came to blows after the police were called by Donna.
“We were trying to go to sleep. It was 11 p.m.,” said Donna. She and her son share the downstairs apartment of the two-family home.
Ron “was hammering and sawing in the basement,” It was loud, she said so, “I called the cops.”
The police report shows that when officers arrived, they talked with Ron Merriman, who told them “he was trying to clear out his basement.”
“Corey Merriman then stepped outside and began a verbal altercation,” with his uncle, the report notes. Ron Merriman asked the police to come inside so he could show them something, but Corey Merriman, 38, “was still standing in the doorway,” police said.
The uncle and nephew began arguing, and “Corey began to push and shove the victim (Ron),” the report said.
Donna sees it differently. Corey “nudged him,” she said. “The wrong person got arrested.”
Corey Merriman was charged with second-degree breach of peace. He was released on a $1,000 nonsurety bond, the report shows.
The case was referred to Family Relations Officer, according to court records. Corey Merriman is scheduled to appear in court on April 11, nearly a month after the family almost certainly will have been ejected.
Donna Merriman and her mother, Alice, who is 87, will move into a lowincome development in the city, and will meet the court deadline, Donna Merriman said Friday.
Ron said he doesn’t know where he’ll live.
“I’m not worried about it. It’s not like anyone is waiting on the porch with suitcases ready to get in,” he said.