Father, son plead guilty to stealing more than 150 guns from South Carolina armory
By Kelly Doty
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FLORENCE, South Carolina (WLOS) — A father and son pleaded guilty to charges stemming from the theft of 152 firearms from Palmetto State Armory.
Benjamin Lee Mercer Sr., 54, and his son, Benjamin Lee Mercer Jr., 31, both of Florence, face federal prison time for the May 12, 2024, theft and subsequent encounters with law enforcement, according to a Sept. 3, 2026, news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina.
Prosecutors say the father and son broke into the armory just before 3 a.m. and stole 152 guns. Ten days later, law enforcement executed a search warrant at a Darlington trailer associated with Mercer Sr. and Mercer Jr. and found 15 firearms that had been stolen from the armory. Prosecutors said Mercer Sr. was also caught on camera discarding another stolen firearm from the window of a truck while evading authorities.
On June 17, 2024, prosecutors said law enforcement used a confidential informant to arrange the purchase of 21 guns from Mercer Jr. at the same trailer. During the purchase, authorities said Mercer Jr. pistol-whipped and threatened to kill the informant. Prosecutors say the informant threw their car keys and the buy money on the ground, which Mercer Jr. took before leaving in the informant’s car.
Mercer Jr. then led authorities on a high-speed chase through Darlington and Florence counties and fired at law enforcement through the driver’s side window. He eventually surrendered after barricading himself in an apartment, prosecutors say.
Mercer Sr. pleaded guilty to stealing firearms from a dealer and illegally possessing firearms. His son, Mercer Jr., had previously pleaded guilty to stealing firearms from a dealer and brandishing and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, the news release said.
Mercer Jr. faces a maximum penalty of life in federal prison, a fine of up to $250,000 and up to five years of supervision after his prison term. Mercer Sr. faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 and up to three years of supervision after his prison term.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina said both men will be sentenced after the U.S. Probation Office prepares and reviews sentencing reports.
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