City man nearing trial on theft charges racks up more indictments in armed robbery

Paul Brooks (Police mugshot)

DOVER - An East Rochester man headed for trial on forgery and theft charges from 2015 was indicted earlier this month for allegedly robbing a man at knifepoint in Rochester in August.

Paul Brooks, 30, who currently resides at Strafford County Jail but formerly lived on Salmon Falls Road in East Rochester, will be in court today for his final pretrial hearing on the forgery and theft charges.

Meanwhile, his most recent indictments stem from an alleged robbery on Aug. 30 when he accosted a man on Spruce Street in Rochester and threatened him with a knife if he didn't hand over his money, telling the victim, "Give me everything you have or I will stab you," according to court documents.

Brooks faces up to 15 years in state prison on the robbery charge and an additional maximum seven years for being a felon in possession of a dangerous weapon.

The three 2015 charges stem from Brooks' alleged forgery of two checks, on June 20 and June 21 of that year, checks he fraudulently cashed at Service Credit Union. The cumulative amount of the checks was between $1,000 and $1,500. The theft charge was for alleged use of credit union funds. The three charges all carry maximum seven-year prison terms.

Brooks is currently being held at Strafford County Jail with no bail.

The Strafford County grand jury indictments were handed down on Nov. 15 and released on Tuesday.

An indictment is not an indication of guilt, but rather that enough evidence has been presented to warrant a trial.