MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Chase Harris, the teen accused of shooting at on off-duty police officer during a car theft attempt at Huey’s restaurant on Poplar last month, was back in and out of court Monday.
Since his arrest days ago in the April 30 incident, the 19-year-old has been on a court merry-go-round.
In the Huey’s case his charges include aggravated assault, reckless endangerment and theft of property. Police say before he was detained as a suspect, he was airlifted to Regional One hospital with bullet wounds from the incident, then released by the hospital.
When Harris showed up to court for a hearing last Friday, he was re-arrested on an outstanding warrant. But he wasn’t in lockup for long. Court records show his $50,000 bond was paid, allowing him to walk free.
Monday, he walked into judicial commissioner Ross Sampson’s courtroom. He was ordered back to court June 12.
Before Harris walked out of court Monday, still free on bond, the fill-in judge arraigned him for another charge — this one for theft of a motor vehicle between $10,000 and $60,000. If found guilty, it could carry up to 15 years in lockup.
Longtime Memphis lawyer Coleman Garrett, who was hired by Harris in an unrelated case last year, said he may represent the teen once again.
“I have not been fully retained yet, and therefore I don’t have sufficient information to be commenting any further at this point and time. After all, I may not be the lawyer on this case,” Garrett said.
Harris’s Shelby County records show multiple recent open cases involving motor vehicle theft or burglary.
Court records state that Harris was linked by fingerprint evidence to the theft of an Infiniti from a North Germantown Parkway restaurant parking lot on April 2, and a break-in the next day of an Audi at Central and Cooper and a Mercedes at Cooper and Young. The Infiniti was later found abandoned off Millbranch.
He allegedly was in a stolen Lexus when police say he was caught breaking into a Dodge Charger at the East Memphis Huey’s.