MEMPHIS, Tenn. — It appears the Memphis police officer accused of robbing a Make-A-Wish family may be suffering from mental illness.
More details have come out about the bizarre crime, including statements his wife made to police.
Ronald Harris is accused of robbing a volunteer and a Make-A-Wish family at the airport, trying to steal the family’s trip money.
Because of this alleged crime, Harris has been suspended from the department, but it turns out, he was already on leave for months.
Sources tell us he hasn’t been acting like himself and could be suffering from mental illness, like his wife reports.
His Horn Lake home is plastered with security cameras. Now what neighbors call ‘odd’ behavior may be explained by a lengthy report written by airport police.
According to the document, Harris’ wife told officers Harris has been seeing a psychologist because he’s delusional and may have mental disorders.
She says the doctor told her he was a danger to others and had even reported wanting to kill his wife.
Harris is accused of going to the airport Saturday and trying to rob a Make-A-Wish volunteer who brought spending money for a family taking a trip.
He’s accused of head-butting the sick child’s father while trying to get away with a bag containing a pre-paid credit card from Make-A-Wish.
“It is certainly a shocking and devastating thing that happened, but our primary focus is that this is not the overarching memory for this Wish family,” said Miranda Harbor, director of community outreach for Make-A-Wish Foundation.
According to airport police, after capturing Harris, he tried to grab an officer’s gun, and when confronted about the robbery, he claimed he didn’t rob the woman, saying the woman was ‘dead.’
Also strange, officers say they found stolen mail in his car. Harris had stolen it from his neighbor earlier in the day.
Harris is still in jail on $25,000 bond and is expected back in court next Monday, June 16.