ATHENS, Ga.
An Athens resident with a violent criminal history who shot at two people attempting to repossess a vehicle and then led police on a high-speed chase was sentenced to 10 years in prison, officials stated.
U.S. District Judge C. Ashley Royal sentenced Ceddrick Demon Mercery aka Stunt, 30, of Athens, Georgia, last week to serve 10 years in prison.
Mercery previously pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm by a convicted felon. There is no parole in the federal system, officials stated.
“Prosecuting repeat offenders responsible for the greatest gun violence in our communities is our office’s highest priority,” said U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary.
“Career criminals who carry guns are a threat to the safety of our neighborhoods,” said Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta.
“Ceddrick Mercery is a career violent offender who is now removed from the streets of Athens, and our community is safer for it,” said Chief Jerry Saulters, Athens-Clarke County Police Department.
According to court documents, two individuals seeking to lawfully repossess a Honda Accord located on Loblolly Road in Athens on Sept. 23, 2020, were nearly struck by the same vehicle as Mercery sped away from them driving the car.
Mercery then drove toward Freeman Drive, made a wide right turn, stopped, rolled down the window and fired three shots at the individuals, who took cover from the gunshots and were not struck.
An Athens-Clarke County Police Department (ACCPD) officer spotted the Honda Accord being driven by Mercery on Commerce Road and attempted to pull him over. Mercery fled at a high rate of speed through a residential complex and then abandoned the car, running away.
Officers found heroin and methamphetamine in the vehicle.
The following day, a loaded .40 caliber pistol was discarded in front of an apartment building on College Avenue, along the route that Mercery had driven while fleeing apprehension.
Ballistics tests confirmed this gun had been used in the shooting
FBI and ACCPD tracked Mercery to an apartment complex on Berlin Street and took him into custody on Oct. 26.
Before his arrest, Mercery was armed with a pistol and was pacing inside the apartment, voicing displeasure that the police were outside the apartment. Mercery was taken into custody without incident.
Agents found a loaded Glock .40 caliber pistol with an extended magazine and a laser sight inside the apartment. Mercery’s cell phone was also located inside the apartment; it had been broken and placed in a toilet.
Mercery’s lengthy criminal history prohibits him from possessing a firearm, including prior felony convictions for hit and run, cocaine, and aggravated stalking.
The case was investigated by the FBI Athens Middle Georgia Safe Streets Gang Task Force, Northeast Georgia Regional Drug Task Force and the Athens-Clarke County Police Department Gang Unit.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Mike Morrison prosecuted the case.