Corpus Christi Handyman Sentenced to 10 Years for Drive-By Taking pictures on

A Corpus Christi man who was previously convicted and is now on the wrong side of the law again has received a decade-long prison sentence for a drive-by shooting at a former client's home. Jason Jaime Merdes, 44, will serve 120 months in federal prison following the ruling by U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos, U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani confirmed Wednesday.

Merdes pleaded guilty to the charges back in August, and at the most recent court hearing the victims came forward to tell of the horror caused by the bullets flying dangerously close to their slumbering children. The repairman had previously been fired by the homeowner for a botched repair job and was quickly suspected of possibly being the shooter after the incident in May, a statement from the U.S. Department of Justice said.

Police were alerted to this by surveillance video that showed a suspicious vehicle that closely resembled the one Merdes was driving. They didn't have to wait long before they spotted the vehicle leaving his house. During a subsequent traffic stop, officers discovered a smoking gun – a holster on Merdes' belt and, more importantly, a firearm under his seat that matched the used cartridges from the crime scene. During a subsequent search of his apartment, a further trove of nine firearms was discovered.

“Two shooting victims testified in court and both described how the shooting affected their lives and how close the shots were to the rooms where their children were sleeping,” the Justice Department report detailed. Further proceedings will determine which federal prison will become Merdes' new home in the coming years.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Corpus Christi Police Department conducted the incident. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley Martin led the prosecution in the courtroom.