A federal jury has found Keith Harris, 24, of Sherwood, guilty of being a felon in possession of a firearm. The verdict followed a two-day trial in Little Rock and about two hours of jury deliberation.
Harris was indicted by a federal grand jury on November 8, 2023, for one count related to illegal firearm possession. The verdict was delivered Wednesday evening to United States District Court Judge D.P. Marshall, Jr., who will determine Harris’s sentence at a later date. Harris remains in federal custody until sentencing. The maximum penalty for the charge is up to 15 years in prison.
Evidence presented during the trial indicated that on October 26, 2022, an officer from the Little Rock Police Department stopped a Dodge Challenger for speeding. Officers discovered that Harris, who was riding as a passenger, was on active parole with a search waiver in place. After asking Harris to exit the vehicle and searching his person and area inside the car, officers found a Glock model 22 .40 caliber handgun under his seat.
Harris has prior convictions in Arkansas. In 2019, he was convicted for being a felon in possession of a firearm after an incident at a North Little Rock gas station led to the death of a U.S. Air Force airman during an armed robbery. At age 18, Harris had been arrested for capital murder and aggravated robbery but pleaded guilty to the lesser charge when police identified him as one of four people involved. He served five years before being paroled in October 2021. Additionally, Harris was previously convicted as an adult on two counts of theft of property by threat of serious physical injury stemming from an incident in 2016.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives led the investigation with help from the Little Rock Police Department. Assistant United States Attorneys Lauren Eldridge and Amanda Fields prosecuted the case.
