Timothy Wayne Harris, Jr. Sentenced to 43 Years for Carjackings, Be…

BEAUMONT, Texas – A violent chapter in Beaumont’s criminal history has concluded with the sentencing of Timothy Wayne Harris, Jr., a/k/a “J,” to over 43 years in federal prison for his role in a harrowing carjacking spree. The Department of Justice announced that Harris, now 23, was found guilty on March 26, 2014, by a jury of conspiracy to commit carjacking, two counts of motor vehicle theft, and two counts of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence.

Harris was sentenced to 522 months in federal prison today by U.S. District Judge Thad Heartfield. According to court information, Harris, along with Jerry Lee Edwards, 38, embarked on their crime spree outside Beaumont’s Carl’s Jr. and the Calder Food Mart on April 17-18, 2012.

On May 2, 2012, a federal grand jury indicted both Harris and Edwards for two counts of carjacking, two counts of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, and one count of conspiracy to commit carjacking. The case was delayed due to psychiatric examinations of Harris, who was the gunman and ringleader of the offenses. He was declared competent to stand trial in late 2013.

Edwards pleaded guilty before trial to conspiracy to commit carjacking and received a sentence of 60 months in federal prison on October 24, 2014. This case is part of the Project Safe Neighborhoods Time Machine Initiative, which aims to reduce gun and gang violence and improve safety in the Eastern District of Texas.

The investigation was carried out by the Beaumont Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with prosecution led by Assistant U.S. Attorney John B. Ross.