Repeat Drug Offender Locked Up Again In OKC

The Oklahoma County Jail is kind of like a second home for Don Harris. He’s been booked 22 times since 1999, and in some cases on some very dangerous charges.

In September, Harris was charged with driving under the influence of drugs and child endangerment. Police say he was driving while high on drugs with his 6-year old daughter in the car when he slammed into a police car. He blew off court, so he was picked up on a charge of failure to appear this week.

And Harris has a history of getting charged with a crime, skipping court and winding up back in jail again.

"It's just a situation where a lot of these people, they get booked in on a charge; they get bonded out; then maybe they don't show up for court; there's a warrant sworn; we go pick them up; they get thrown back in here again; they get another bond hearing; they get bond, they make bond, they pay bond, they get out and get arrested for something else,” said Mark Opgrande with the Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office.

Back in 2013, Harris was charged with drug possession and assaulting a police officer.  He was sentenced to 15 years in prison, but he was released after a few months because he completed a drug treatment program.

Since then, Oklahoma City Police say they’ve arrested Harris four times for charges including drug possession, illegally possessing a firearm and another DUI. 

"In this case this individual has a lot of drug charges, a lot of violations and suspended sentences, a lot of failure to appear charges, and it's just a constant cycle for a lot of these people,” said Opgrande. “That’s, for some of these individuals, that's what they do."

District Attorney David Prater was not available for an on-camera interview, but said this is a perfect example of how prosecutors’ hands are tied when it comes to repeat drug offenders like Harris.

Prater said, since this last arrest, he is requesting that bond be denied for Harris until he is sentenced.