Newton County jury convicts man for armed robbery, crime spree

NEWTON COUNTY, Ga. — The Newton County District Attorney’s Office announced the conviction of a man for a 2021 crime spree that started with a stolen purse and ended with a high-speed chase that took deputies and the suspect to Henry County.

According to the DA’s office, Bryan Christopher Harris started off his September 2021 crime spree by stealing a purse out of woman’s shopping cart while at a Newton County Walmart.

The next night, the DA’s office said Harris broke into a home on Washington Street in Covington and stole the homeowner’s wallet, car keys, car and two guns while they were asleep and in bed.

Then, using the stolen vehicle, the DA’s office said Harris drove to the stolen purse victim’s home and tried to break in, but was confronted by people inside who opened fire on him during the attempt.

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The stolen car ended up with a bullet striking the radiator and Harris drove away while leaving a trail of leaking fluid, the DA’s office said.

“However, he did not get far before the car broke down. He abandoned the car in the middle of a road and proceeded to a nearby neighborhood where he stolen another car. From there, the defendant went to the Oyo Hotel,” according to the DA’s office.

Entering the hotel, Harris went to the front desk in a hoodie, gloves and with a red bandana over most of his face to ask for a room, the DA’s office said. Then, when told how much it would cost for the night, he said he didn’t have the money and pulled out a gun, robbing the clerk of a room key.

Video from the incident at the hotel showed Harris use one of the guns stolen from the home on Washington Street, officials said.

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Deputies from the Newton County Sheriff’s Office and Covington police officers had been investigating the crimes and “had strong suspicions they were being committed by the same person,” before Harris robbed the hotel clerk.

Both deputies and officers were nearby when Harris took the Oyo Hotel room key.

Taking off in the second stolen car, the DA’s office said it was seen driving at a high speed through the Oyo Hotel parking lot with its lights off. Deputies tried to stop the car but Harris instead led them on a high-speed chase.

Harris drove onto the highway from Alcovy Road, eventually driving into Henry County. The high-speed chase ended in a Henry County neighborhood, the DA’s office said. Harris was the only person in the car.

Inside the car, law enforcement found both of the stolen guns, including the one Harris used at the Oyo Hotel, as well as the Washington Street homeowner’s wallet, Harris’ wallet, the stolen purse and items from the Walmart shopping cart and the red bandana he wore at the hotel.

A Newton County jury convicted Harris of armed robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, attempted burglary, five counts of theft, possession of a firearm during a felony and felony fleeing.

A sentencing hearing hasn’t been scheduled yet.

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