Morrison Avenue resident Daniel Merrill, 26, who's accused of robbing four Davis Square banks since Nov. 19, pleaded not guilty in Somerville District Court Monday afternoon and was ordered held without bail.

Merrill's arraignment will continue Tuesday morning for a hearing about bail.

In a somewhat odd court appearance, Merrill communicated with Judge Neil Walker from behind a barrier, hidden, so that members of the press and others in the courtroom were not able to see or photograph him.

According to a police indicent report in the case docket, Merrill was arrested Monday morning on Day Street in Davis Square.

After three bank robberies in 10 days—all in the heart of Davis Square, Somerville's largest commercial center—Somerville police, working with the FBI Violent Crimes Task Force, had all of Davis Square's banks under surveillance.

On Monday morning, a Somerville undercover detective working with the task force observed Merrill entering the Eastern Bank at 250 Elm St. at about 9:25 a.m., and then saw Merrill exit the bank about a minute later, according to the police report.

The report says Merrill was in a hurry when he left the bank and that the undercover detective followed him down Chester Street (past the popular Redbones restaurant), then onto Herbert Street and toward Day Street.

According to the report, Merrill dropped a note on the ground, and the detecitve picked it up and read it. The note said, "The money now, I have bomb, 20's, 50's, 100's."

The detective then yelled toward other members of the task force, telling them to detain Merrill, the report says.

According to the report, police collected as evidence $909, and "this contained $100.00 of ten dollar bills which are marked as bank robbery bait money." They also collected a second demand note, the report says.

Also according to the report, police interviewed Merrill, and "during this interview the defendent made admissions to robbing the Eastern Bank ... as well as the following other Somerville banks:"

The police report then lists Soverign Bank, which was robbed on Nov. 19, Citizens Bank, which was robbed Nov. 25, and Winter Hill Federal Savings Bank, which was robbed Nov. 29.

According to the report, Merrill also admitted to attempting to rob the Sovereign Bank on Nov. 25.

The police report says detectives showed surveillance footage of the robberies to the defendant, and "Merrill admitted the photos were of himself ... [and] he admitted that he wrote both notes," referring to the demand notes.

Merrill is, himself, a Davis Square resident, living on Morrison Ave. near the intersection of Newberne, according to the case docket.