“He was the heart and sole behind the Junior Police Academy.”
Brantley County Sheriff Len Davis gives Deputy Mike Mercier, who passed away Saturday, March 29, 2025, all the credit for the success of the annual Junior Police Academy held each year after school is dismissed for the summer.
The summer academy for youth started under former Sheriff Robert Thomas.
“For some reason, Mike latched on to it and it latched on to him as well,” said Sheriff Davis. “I pretty much let him run the whole show because he had so much experience with it. It was his passion.
“You could see the pure enjoyment that week we had that going on. You could see it in his eyes. He put so much into it ... so much into those kids who attended. He’s going to be terribly, terrible missed.”
Mercier, who served his community for 45 years as a deputy with the Brantley County Sheriff’s Office, passed away at Satilla Hospice House in Waycross following an extended illness “He’s going to be sorely missed by the Brantley Sheriff’s Office, especially me,” said Davis. “Mike knew the ins and outs of sheriff’s office and how it ran, as well as the duties of the sheriff and the sheriff’s office. Through the years Mike was a mentor to a lot of young deputies. He guided them the right way.
“He had a lot of experience and advice for young deputies and even sheriffs alike. Mike served this county well for many, many years. He was a great asset for our sheriff’s office and a great asset for our county.”
Mercier worked under five sheriff’s during his career severing several interim stints as chief deputy under Thomas and Tom Hoard.
Mercier is survived by his wife of 45 years, Barbara Williams Mercier; a son and daughter-in-law, Bubba Mercier (Christy); and a daughter and son-inlaw, Tonya Mercier Crosby (Bengi), all of Hoboken.
