District Attorney Keith Higgins announces that on Monday, April 15, 2024, Sedrick Deshawn Pearman, 35, of Brunswick, GA, was found guilty by a Glynn County jury of Giving False Information to a Law Enforcement Officer, Obstruction of an Officer, and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon.
The evidence presented at trial showed that on April 3, 2021, Glynn County Police Department (GCPD) Officer Troy Bergiadis, was patrolling the area of GA 27 and Warren Mason Blvd when he observed a vehicle with suspicious driving behavior. The vehicle eventually pulled into the parking lot of I-95 Liquors. Based on his observations, Officer Bergiadis decided to investigate and have a consensual encounter with the occupants. Officer Bergiadis walked up to the vehicle on the passenger side and knocked on the window. The vehicle was occupied by four individuals. Defendant Pearman was the backseat passenger behind the driver. The driver rolled down the passenger side window, and Officer Bergiadis immediately smelled the strong odor of marijuana emitting from the vehicle. GCPD K9 Officer William Duggan arrived on scene to provide backup.
At the time, the officers were just investigating the possible drug activity of which they were now aware due to the odor of marijuana. All occupants stated that there was nothing in the vehicle. Officer Duggan attempted multiple times to get Pearman to provide his full name. Pearman was the only occupant who did not voluntarily provide identification, such as a Georgia driver’s license or ID card.
On body camera footage shown at trial, Officer Duggan asked Pearman a total of 8 times to give him his name, and Pearman finally stated his last name was “James.” Officer Bergiadis had gotten the driver out of the vehicle and secured him with another GCPD officer and had returned to get Pearman out of the vehicle so that the vehicle could be lawfully searched. As Officer Bergiadis opened the rear passenger door, he observed an AK-47 style weapon at the left rear passenger’s (Pearman’s) feet, and yelled, “Gun!” At this point, the other backseat passenger fled on foot and threw a handgun on the ground along his flight path. Due to officer safety, Pearman was taken out of the vehicle, but he began resisting arrest. While on the ground, Pearman continued to resist; he managed to got out of his sweatshirt, which Officer Duggan had a hold of. He then fled on foot and was able to get away from the area. Officer Duggan ran a criminal history on Pearman and discovered he was a convicted felon. Officer Duggan secured three criminal warrants against Pearman, and he was arrested on those warrants in June of 2023.
In the meantime, a search of the suspect vehicle yielded marijuana and several illegal pills found in the center console and in the backseat. A handgun was found underneath the front passenger seat, along with the Century Arms AK-47 7.62 caliber assault pistol with a fully loaded 75-round drum style magazine found at Pearman’s feet. The original magazine was in the seat pocket in front of Pearman with another 26 rounds in it. The officers also searched the path that Pearman fled and discovered a baggie of crack cocaine (he was not charged with an offense related to that).
On April 23, 2024, Pearman was sentenced before Judge Roger B. Lane, in Glynn County Super Court, where he also had his probation revoked. Judge Lane sentenced Pearman to a total of 26 years: 12-years (total for the three charges) in the Georgia Department of Corrections under the Georgia Recidivist Act, to serve consecutive to the 14-year sentence he received for his probation violation.
The case was prosecuted for the State by Assistant District Attorney Leland McElveen, who stated, “Gun Control, no matter which side you are on, is a topic that affects us every day. This jury verdict was gun control in action. Their verdict held a previously five-time convicted felon accountable for possessing a weapon he was not allowed to have and in turn, their verdict was an example of effective gun control.”
McElveen continued, “On behalf of the District Attorney’s Office, I want to thank (now) Detective Bergiadis and Officer William Duggan for their professionalism and excellent work in getting guns and drugs off our streets, which was a result of great proactive policing. Glynn County should be proud to have these law enforcement professionals working in their community.”
Members of the media with further questions may contact the Brunswick Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office at 912-554-7200.
