Man arrested in Port after chase hits the brakes on case

Arrested in 2023 and accused of running from a BMW carrying guns and fentanyl after it crashed in Port Washington during a high-speed chase, a 30-year-old man who pleaded guilty to drug-dealing charges in Ozaukee County Circuit Court brought his case to a halt last week on the day it was to be concluded.

Chicago resident Larry L. Harmon, who faced a recommendation from a prosecutor that he be sentenced to six years in prison followed by six years of extended supervision, asked during a Sept. 9 sentencing hearing that he be allowed to withdraw his guilty pleas.

His attorney, Robert Webb Jr., then asked permission to withdraw as his lawyer.

Ozaukee County Circuit Judge Steve Cain granted Webb’s motion and said he would rule on Harmon’s request to withdraw his pleas once he had a new lawyer.

Harmon, who has been held in the Ozaukee County jail in lieu of $30,000 bail since his arrest in June 2023, pleaded guilty last month to felony counts of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and possession with intent to distribute non-narcotic drugs, both while armed with a dangerous weapon. Other charges were dismissed as part of a plea agreement.

According to a criminal complaint, the incident that led to Harmon’s arrest began at 1:24 a.m. Monday, June 19, 2023, when an Ozaukee County sheriff’s deputy patrolling I-43 near Northwoods Road in the Town of Saukville spotted a BMW with heavily tinted windows driving north. A check of the vehicle’s license plate showed that it was registered to a Pontiac Grand Prix from Green Bay.

The deputy stopped the car, and when he walked up to the passenger side of the vehicle he immediately smelled marijuana. The car then sped away, but not before the deputy noticed there was a passenger in the front seat.

The BMW, which reached speeds of between 110 and 120 mph, exited I-43 on the north side of Port Washington, blew a stop sign at the top of the ramp and careened through a field and fence before hitting a utility pole and slamming into a vehicle in the park and ride lot off Highway LL.

The deputy saw one man running south from the park and ride lot. The BMW was badly damaged and only the passenger side door was open.

In the car, authorities found four loaded handguns, two of which had the serial number filed off of them. One of them had been modified with a full-auto switch, another appeared to have a homemade 3-D printed frame without a serial number and one was reported stolen from Dubuque, Iowa. A disassembled assault-style rifle was found in the trunk and multiple rounds of ammunition in calibers that matched all the guns in the vehicle were scattered throughout the BMW, the complaint states.

Also found in the car were fentanyl and marijuana. Four phones, one of which belonged to Harmon, were found in or near the vehicle, according to the complaint.

The deputy involved in the chase began searching for the man who ran from the BMW and about an hour-and-a-half later spotted a vehicle with Illinois license plates in the area of the crash and made contact with the occupants. A man in the back seat initially refused to identify himself but matched the vague description of the man the officer saw running from the BMW, was sweaty and had a red mark on his face. He ultimately identified himself as Harmon, the complaint states.

No one else has been charged in connection with the incident.

Nearly six months later, with Harmon in jail awaiting trial, a Port Washington couple called the police department on Dec. 13, 2023, to report that employees of a gutter cleaning company found a fanny pack on the roof of their home on Parknoll Lane that contained drugs.

The house is about 1,500 feet from where the BMW crashed, in the area where Harmon fled and close to the location where he was arrested after the car with Illinois license plates was pulled over, according to the complaint.

In the pack, authorities found an Illinois Department of Transportation ID and a debit card that belonged to Harmon and multiple pills, the complaint states.

Some of the pills appeared to be hydrocodone/acetaminophen tablets. Others were marked with “30” on one side and “M” on the other, which identify them as oxycodone, but such pills are often counterfeited by using pressed fentanyl and sold as oxycodone, according to the complaint.

Other pills found in the pack appeared to be ecstasy tablets, which are often laced with other drugs. A test revealed that the pills contained fentanyl, the complaint states.

On Harmon’s phone, authorities found contacts saved with the letter “M” next to them, identifying them as people who purchased the pills marked with an “M,” and photos of the pills. There were also photos found on the phone showing Harmon wearing the fanny pack found on the roof of the house, according to the complaint.

Last week, Harmon also asked to withdraw his plea in a separate case accusing him of exposing himself to a female inmate while in a holding cell at the Ozaukee County jail.

There are eight holding cells arranged in a U shape in the booking area of the jail. Each cell has large glass windows so inmates can be observed.

On Sunday, Dec. 10, 2023, Harmon was brought to a holding cell to ice an injury. A short time later, a deputy saw him making hand gestures and blowing kisses to a female inmate in a holding cell across from his, according to the complaint filed in that case. 

The deputy put window covers on Harmon’s cell and a short time later the female inmate told him Harmon “showed me his penis,” the complaint states.

Video shows Harmon blowing kisses at the female inmate and moving his hands around his groin area, then bending at the knees and looking at his groin, the complaint states.

When confronted, Harmon said, “I thought looking at my junk in my own cell was OK,” according to the complaint.

When a deputy ordered Harmon to put his hands behind his back so he could be handcuffed, Harmon refused and said he was in charge, the complaint states.

It took three deputies to handcuff Harmon, who told one of the deputies that he would throw him to the ground, according to the complaint.

Harmon was charged with misdemeanor counts of lewd and lascivious behavior and resisting an officer. He pleaded guilty to the resisting charge last month and the lewd and lascivious behavior charge was dismissed as part of a plea agreement but read into the record, which means Cain could have considered it when sentencing Harmon.

Prosecutors recommended Harmon be sentenced to four months in jail consecutive to the prison sentence. 

Harmon’s request to withdraw his plea in the misdemeanor case is pending along with his request in the drug case. 

Harmon’s criminal record includes a conviction for drug possession in Minnesota as well as convictions for residential burglary, carrying/possessing a firearm and carrying/possessing a firearm near a school in Cook County, Ill.

In a pair of pending cases in Brown County, Harmon faces two counts of delivering fentanyl.

He is scheduled to appear in Ozaukee County Circuit Court again on Oct. 7.