James Joseph Mercer, 47, of Philadelphia was recently sentenced to 6 to 23 months in the county jail for shouting a series of profanity-laced threats and racial epithets directed towards a female employee at Quest Diagnostics on Bethlehem Pike in Springfield in November 2021.

Mercer was also ordered to complete three years’ probation, an anger management counseling program and 100 hours of community service.

Mercer originally faced a felony charge of ethnic intimidation but the charge was ultimately reduced to a misdemeanor. His defense lawyer argued that the incident was due to a mental health crisis.

For more coverage on this incident, you can read The Reporter’s article here.