Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

FORT WAYNE – Will A. Harris, Jr., 38 years old, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Holly A. Brady after pleading guilty to possessing with intent to distribute methamphetamine, possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and being a felon in possession of a firearm, announced United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson.

Harris Jr. was sentenced to 262 months in prison followed by 4 years of supervised release.

According to documents in the case, on January 15, 2021, Harris Jr. was arrested by the Fort Wayne Police Department after a vehicle pursuit. During the pursuit, Harris Jr. threw baggies of methamphetamine and a firearm out of the car onto the street. Officers were able to recover the discarded narcotics and the firearm. When apprehended, Harris Jr. physically assaulted an officer and later made threats to harm officers and their families.

Harris Jr. has previously been convicted of multiple felony offenses, including, Dealing Cocaine, Battery, Battery to a Law Enforcement Officer Resulting in Injury, and Theft, making him a career offender for purposes of the United States Sentencing Guidelines. Harris Jr. was also on probation at the time he committed his current offense.

This case was the result of an investigation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, with the assistance of the Drug Enforcement Administration Laboratory and the Fort Wayne Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Stacey R. Speith.

This case was being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.