SNOW HILL — A Snow Hill man with a long record of criminal activity pleaded guilty last week to possession of a firearm by a felon and fleeing and eluding police and was sentenced to 12 years in jail, including a mandatory sentence of five years for the weapons charge.
Last May 26, Snow Hill Police officers observed Eddie Alexis Collick, 37, of Snow Hill, operating a motor vehicle while his license was suspended. The officers initiated a traffic stop, at which time Collick exited the vehicle and fled on foot through Snow Hill. He was eventually apprehended about a block from where he abandoned the vehicle.
Snow Hill Police retraced Collick’s flight path and found a .32 caliber revolver with four live rounds and one spent round in the cylinder, which he apparently tossed during his escape attempt. Collick later admitted the weapon belonged to him and that he ran from police because he knew they would eventually find it. In addition, Collick was found with two knives.
During his plea hearing last week, Worcester County Circuit Court Judge Thomas Groton III acknowledged Collick had a “terrible” record and the court documents bear out that out. Collick has three convictions for possession of marijuana, three convictions for possession of crack cocaine, one conviction for possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine and one conviction for second-degree assault.
In addition, he has multiple traffic infractions, a violation of probation and has failed to pay child support for at least six years. In 2007, Collick was convicted of the exact same offense to which he pleaded guilty last week.
Last Thursday, Collick pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm with a felony conviction and was sentenced to 12 years, all but six of which was then suspended. The first five years are a mandatory minimum with limited opportunities for parole or probation for the possession of the loaded .32 caliber revolver during the incident last May. He also received one year for the attempting to elude capture by police charge.
State’s Attorney Beau Oglesby praised the diligent work of the Snow Hill Police Department that led to the lengthy sentence.
“Chief of Police Kirk Daugherty deserves credit for leading such a strong department of exceptional law enforcement officers,” he said. “Mr. Collick is a gun-carrying, convicted violent drug dealer who will now be off the streets of Snow Hill because of their efforts and the prosecutors who worked on the case.”