FBI Agent Who Investigated Sex Crimes Faces Multiple Sex Crime Charges

October 25, 2021 Don Pumphrey, Jr. News & Announcements, Sex Crimes Social Share

In late August, Franklin County Sheriff’s Office issued an arrest warrant for Supervisory Special Agent David Harris of the FBI. He was arrested in Ascension Parish, Louisiana, and charged with sex crimes spanning multiple states over several years. As a result of the judge declaring him a “threat to the public at large,” he is currently being held without bond in Louisiana. His job at the FBI involved investigating crimes against children, including crimes involving child pornography.

Details of the Case

The investigation around Harris began when he was accused in February of exposing himself to a 14-year-old girl in a “lewd and lascivious manner” when he went “skinny dipping” while on vacation in 2019. Because of Harris’ position in the FBI, as well as the fact that at the time he was a colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves, the Department of Justice and the Office of Inspector General teamed up with the Franklin County Sheriff’s office who had initially begun the investigation.

The investigation revealed Harris committed numerous sexual crimes, with deputies stating these crimes involved both “minors and adults in the States of Louisiana and Texas, five jurisdictions and three states in all.” Specifically, a Smith County, Texas affidavit alleged that Harris molested a child and exposed himself to multiple children from 2018 to 2019 in Florida, Louisiana, and Texas. The same young girl to whom he was accused of exposing himself to on vacation also revealed in a forensic interview that he had exposed himself to her and touched her inappropriately on past occasions. Furthermore, deputies investigating the case stated, “records were obtained from Harris’ issued government electronic devices finding conversation excerpts from Harris claiming his sexual preference to underage girls and admitting to [the instance of exposure while he was on vacation].” The fact Harris’ offenses span over multiple jurisdictions certainly adds a layer of complication to the case.

While under investigation, he was assigned to the FBI office in New Orleans where he had been appointed to lead a regional division of the FBI that focused on investigating online crimes against children. Harris has been dismissed from the FBI and his status with the U.S. Army Reserve is still in review. The charges he faces include crimes against nature, sexual battery, and indecency with a child.

This article was written by Sarah Kamide

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