Uniontown man found not guilty on kidnapping charges
A Uniontown man was found not guilty on Wednesday in Fayette County Court of kidnapping three children, but he was convicted of simple assault on the woman who was watching them. Eric Harris, 33, was also convicted of burglary in the first degree, meaning that he forced his way into a Carlisle Street home with the intent to harm Tawana Mills, his on-again, off-again girlfriend.
Mills testified that Harris came to the home of her mother on Carlisle Street on June 21, and kicked in the door. Mills said Harris then physically assaulted her and forced her and her two children and nephew into a car at gunpoint.
Mills said Harris forced her to drive around the city of Uniontown, at one point ordering her to stop and pushing the gun into her chest outside the car.
Harris denied having a gun and testified that Mills willingly got into the car with the children because she intended to drive him to his cousin’s house as they had earlier arranged. He admitted to jurors that he did kick and hit Mills at her mother’s home.
Although he was charged with two counts of firearm possession, jurors acquitted Harris of those charges. At the outset of the trial, both Assistant District Attorney Gene Grimm and defense attorney David Kaiser stipulated that Harris could not have a gun because of a prior felony conviction.
Jurors did not know that the felony conviction was for voluntary manslaughter in the 1995 shooting death of Henry Wilson. Harris was on parole for that conviction when he was charged with attacking Mills. His parole in that case was revoked and Harris is serving out the time on his two- to 10-year sentence in that case.
In all, jurors acquitted Harris of three counts of kidnapping and one count each of aggravated assault, firearms not be carried without a license and persons not to possess firearms. He was convicted of burglary, simple assault and terroristic threats.
Because someone was home when Harris came into the Carlisle Street home, the burglary charge is considered first-degree. That means that it carries a first-degree felony grading and more prison time than if he had broken into an empty home.
Jurors started their deliberations in the case on Tuesday afternoon, and broke for the day after about 90 minutes. They returned Wednesday morning and asked President Judge Conrad B. Capuzzi to redefine aggravated assault before deliberating another 30 minutes and returning with the verdict.
Capuzzi set Harris’ sentencing date for Feb. 19 at 9:30 a.m.