A Jonesboro police officer was terminated following an interaction with an inmate

A Jonesboro police officer was terminated on Friday following an interaction with an inmate on Thursday, Aug. 8.

Jonesboro Police Chief Rick Elliott said, that he has been communicating with the FBI and that he was told that the FBI office in Little Rock has opened a case into the incident.

According to JPD, on Friday, Aug. 9, Officer Joseph Harris was terminated from the department following an incident with 42-year-old Billy Lee Coram who claimed to have Fentanyl inside of him. Craighead County Detention Center inmate, attempting to strangle himself when Harris opened the rear door of the police unit and began hitting him repeatedly.

On Thursday, Aug. 8, Coram was originally taken to St. Bernards Medical Center after he said he swallowed the drugs.
While at the hospital, Coram decided to leave the hospital while he was still awaiting transport to another state on felony escape charges. Jonesboro police officers found Coram a short distance from the hospital and transported him back to the detention center.

This is not the first time Officer Harris has faced scrutiny. He was suspended in 2022, and was involved in a lawsuit back in June following an inmate’s death.