Jonesboro, AR – (JonesboroRightNow.com) – Former Jonesboro Police Department officer Joseph Harris, who was accused of striking an inmate while returning the inmate to jail, pleaded guilty to filing a false police report and third-degree battery Tuesday morning.
A news release from the Office of the Prosecuting Attorney for the 2nd Judicial District said Harris was sentenced to 36 months of probation, including 30 days in the county jail. He was also sentenced to 90 days on house arrest with an ankle monitor as a condition of probation, according to online court records.
The news release said while Harris’s behavior was “unacceptable,” he was a first-time offender with no prior criminal history, which courts and prosecutors must consider when determining sentencing.
The charges stemmed from a 2024 incident in which Harris struck Craighead County Detention Center inmate Billy Lee Coram multiple times while transporting him to the jail. When the two arrived at the jail, and when Coram was under the control of jail staff, Harris attempted to strike him again, the news release said. However, the release said, these actions were not disclosed in Harris’s police report, which instead read that Coram was “transported with no further incident.”
Harris was fired from JPD as a result of this incident.
As part of Harris’s plea deal, he permanently surrendered his law enforcement certification, meaning he can never serve as a law enforcement officer in Arkansas again, according to the news release.
Harris had also been charged with aggravated assault in connection with the incident; however, the assault charge was nolle prossed, court records show. This means prosecutors do not wish to prosecute a pending criminal case/charge against a defendant at the time.
The news release said Harris will be booked into the jail today to begin serving the custodial portion of his sentence.
