Athens man who shot at repo workers given max prison sentence

ATHENS, Ga. - A 30-year-old Athens man was given the maximum sentence for his crime after a judge found him guilty of illegally possessing the firearm he used to shoot two workers attempting to repossess his car.

Police said Ceddrick Demon Mercery, who was a previously convicted felon, tried to run over two people repossessing his Honda Accord on Sept. 23, 2020. They said Mercery then rolled down the window and fired three shots at the workers, missing, before driving away.

When Athens-Clarke County police encountered Mercery attempting to flee through an apartment complex on Commerce Road, he led them on a high-speed chase in the parking lot and discarded the gun along the way.

He was later arrested in October and charged for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. On Nov. 9, a judge sentenced him to 120 months in prison, the maximum term allowed under federal guidelines.

"Prosecuting repeat offenders who are responsible for the greatest gun violence in our communities is our office’s highest priority," said U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. "Working with our law enforcement partners, we will continue to hold convicted felons with violent pasts accountable at the federal level when they possess, or especially use, a firearm."