Press Release
The Office of State Attorney Glenn Hess announces that on March 6, 2019, a Bay County jury found Sonny Eric Pierce guilty as charged of Aggravated Battery with a Firearm and Shooting into an Occupied Vehicle.
Evidence presented at trial proved that the incident occurred on June 12, 2013, in the Panama City Home Depot parking lot. The Defendant discharged a firearm, striking Jeramy Ducharme in his chest. The victim testified that when he got back into his vehicle and looked up, he was facing the barrel of the .357 firearm that the Defendant was pointing at him. The jury deliberated for 30 minutes before returning a guilty verdict.
The case was investigated by the Panama City Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant State Attorneys Cord Grimes and Jennifer Hawkins. Circuit Judge Brantley Clark, Jr., set sentencing for March 22, 2019. The Defendant faces up to 25 years of imprisonment and a 20-year minimum mandatory sentence under the 10/20/Life statute.
For additional information, contact Chief Assistant State Attorney Larry Basford.