Jury finds Muncie man guilty of battery with deadly weapon in holiday ice-pick attack

MUNCIE, Ind. — A Delaware Circuit Court 4 jury has found a Muncie man guilty of a felony charge stemming from his attack on another man with an ice pick.

After about an hour of deliberations, the jury on Tuesday found Charles Franklin Harris, 59, guilty of battery with a deadly weapon, a Level 5 felony carrying up to six years in prison.

After the conviction, Harris — who had been charged with attempted murder — acknowledged his criminal record made him a habitual offender. That status could add to the prison term the Muncie man is expected to receive from Judge John Feick, who set sentencing for Aug. 21.

During the two-day trial, prosecutors Zach Craig and Adrian Perez presented testimony indicating Harris attacked a 59-year-old Muncie man with the ice pick on Thanksgiving 2022.

The man told police Harris tackled him and stabbed him repeatedly in his face and head near his left eye and temple. Investigators at first believed the wounds had been inflicted with a screwdriver.

An officer reported the victim had "several injuries on his body," including "two stab wounds on his torso and two stab wounds on his head."

The victim said the dispute leading to the attack began when he went to Harris' home to pick up his wife's cousin so she could attend their family holiday gathering.

According to court records, Harris had earlier been convicted of crimes including battery, burglary, carrying a handgun without a license, criminal recklessness, intimidation, resisting law enforcement, stalking and strangulation.

In a news release, Delaware County Prosecutor Eric Hoffman called Harris "yet another repeat offender convicted of a felony offense."

Douglas Walker is a news reporter at The Star Press. Contact him at 765-213-5851 or at dwalker@muncie.gannett.com .

This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Jury finds Muncie man guilty of battery with deadly weapon in holiday ice-pick attack