The following is adapted from a press release from the Florida State Attorney of the 7th Judicial Circuit:

 

After a one-day trial, a Flagler County jury deliberated for approximately 40 minutes on Thursday before finding Major Harris, 32-year-old Palm Coast man, guilty of aggravated battery with a firearm, a second degree felony; aggravated assault with a firearm, a third degree felony; and kidnapping, a first degree felony, punishable by life.

 

After the verdict, prosecutors were preparing to have the jury hear evidence for the charge of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, a second degree felony, but the defendant pled no contest to that charge.

 

Assistant State Attorneys Doug Stanford and Ben Fox prosecuted Harris. A sentencing statement has been scheduled for Sept. 4.

 

The state said they will be seeking a life sentence for Harris, according to a statement from Klare Ly, public information officer and public affairs director for the Florida State Attorney of the 7th Circuit.

 

Harris had been released from state prison less than a year when he kidnapped and assaulted the victim in this case.  Harris was in prison for an aggravated battery conviction in Volusia County. 

 

“This is an example of our office’s goal of identifying repeat violent offenders and seeking to keep them behind bars," Larizza said in the statement. "This is a defendant that did not learn his lesson the first time and our office is committed to prosecuting these types of criminals to the maximum sentence allowed by law.”

 

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