ELLSWORTH – A 37-year-old Prospect Harbor man remained in custody Sunday charged with gross sexual assault.

Eugene Merchant was charged early Friday morning after officers from the Hancock County Sheriff’s Department searched his home on West Bay Road. He was charged in connection with a sexual assault against a 17-year-old girl that allegedly occurred late Thursday afternoon in Sullivan. Merchant was taken to the Hancock County Jail, where he is being held on $20,000 with a surety or $10,000 cash.