Lawsuit claims former Jonesboro police officer used excessive force on inmate, city & department failed to prevent it

JONESBORO, Ark. – Attorneys are taking legal action in response to footage that has now gone viral showing a violent interaction between a former Jonesboro police officer and a Craighead County inmate.

A camera in the officer’s cruiser recorded the inmate, Billy Lee Coram, appearing to attempt to strangle himself in the back seat of the vehicle when then-officer Joseph Harris opens the door and punches him several times.

Prior to the altercation, Coram can be seen in the video claiming to have fentanyl inside of him and begs Harris to listen to him.

An affidavit shows Coram escaped from a hospital while he was being treated. Jonesboro police said they found him near the hospital and then transported him back to the detention center, which is where the incident happened.

The lawsuit also points to surveillance video screenshots, alleging Harris lunged at Coram, attempting to punch him again after he got back to the jail.

Harris was fired from the department on Aug. 9, the day after the exchange was caught on camera. Attorneys voiced concern over the officer using excessive force while knowing the in-vehicle camera was documenting the entire incident.

“That officer must have a reason to believe that his supervisors are okay with this kind of stuff, that he is going to be protected by his supervisors,” Coram’s attorney Mike Laux said Tuesday.

Laux and another attorney for Coram, Michael Kiel Kaisar, point to records obtained revealing this was not the first time the former officer used excessive force.

At the time of his swearing-in, his initial employment report noted Harris had no prior law enforcement experience and had not attended a basic police training course. Six months later, he was suspended for 22 hours following a complaint filed on July 10, 2022, after officials said he was caught on video throwing a man to the ground outside the Midnight Rodeo, a Jonesboro nightclub.

Harris has also been named in a lawsuit connected with the death of Brock Austin Tyner on May 4. The suit alleges the city failed to train its officers properly and that Harris and Officer Payton Perkins “acted with deliberate indifference” to Tyner’s rights.

“He [Harris] was a ticking time bomb that the city of Jonesboro unleashed on its citizens and exploded for the world to see on August 8 of this year,” Kaiser told media after filing the lawsuit in federal court Tuesday

The attorneys also said that Coram is still recovering from injuries he sustained that day, mentally and physically. Kaiser said Coram has still not regained his peripheral vision in his left eye, where he was hit. He also suffers from trauma associated with the incident and is “not doing well” mentally.

Arkansas State Police and the FBI are both investigating the incident, though no official charges have been filed against the officer yet. KARK 4 News reached out to the Jonesboro Harold Copenhaver and Jonesboro Police Chief Rick Elliot for a response to the lawsuit. As of the publishing of this story, neither man has responded to those requests.

City officials shared a statement Tuesday afternoon noting, “It is against the policy of the City of Jonesboro to respond to an inquiry for a statement when litigation is involved.

As for Coram, Craighead County District Judge David Boling found probable cause to charge him with third-degree escape/escapes from custody on Aug. 9. Judge Boling set his bond at $25,000 cash only, with a GPS ankle monitor if he bonds out. His next court date is set for Sept. 27.

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