U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary | U.S. Department of Justice
A Bahamian fugitive and a Georgia jail escapee have been sentenced to prison on federal gun charges following separate investigations in the Middle District of Georgia under Project Safe Neighborhoods.
Byron Bradley Demeritte, a 31-year-old Bahamian citizen residing in Lithonia, Georgia, was sentenced to 60 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. He had previously pleaded guilty to possessing a machinegun on August 26, 2024. Chavis Stokes, also 31, from Macon, received a sentence of 96 months in prison with an additional three years of supervised release. Stokes pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon on October 9, 2024. His sentence will run consecutively to his existing state sentences.
U.S. District Judge Marc T. Treadwell presided over both cases. The federal system does not allow parole.
"Our office and our law enforcement partners will continue to prioritize federal prosecutions against illegally armed, dangerous criminals," stated U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. "I salute the excellent investigative and prosecutorial work in these Project Safe Neighborhoods cases, which endeavor to make our communities safer."
In Demeritte's case, Monroe County Sheriff's Office deputies stopped his vehicle on I-75 for improper license plate use and erratic driving on May 3, 2023. Officers detected marijuana odor from the vehicle and found six firearms inside a backpack during their search; one was a stolen Glock Model 21 .45 caliber modified as a machinegun. Demeritte is wanted in the Bahamas on an active murder warrant issued March 27, 2023.
For Stokes' case, the U.S. Marshals Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force located him after he escaped from Bibb County Law Enforcement Center on October 26, 2023. At his location in Montezuma, Georgia, agents discovered two firearms along with loaded magazines and ammunition.
These cases fall under Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), aimed at reducing violent crime and gun violence through collaboration between law enforcement agencies and communities.
The investigation into Demeritte's activities involved ATF and Monroe County Sheriff's Office with prosecution by Criminal Chief Leah McEwen and Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert McCullers. The Stokes investigation was led by the U.S. Marshals Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force (SERFTF) alongside ATF support with assistance from other agencies; prosecution was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joy Odom.
