On 3/12/25, at approximately 12:46 am, Mt. Carmel Police arrested two Mt. Carmel men identified as Brandon L. Reed, age 31, on a Richland County Warrant for Failure to Appear along with David Ryan Harms, age 37, for Unlawful Possession of a Hypodermic Syringe after an officer observed Reed operating a brown Buick that had pulled into a parking lot near the intersection of 9th & Poplar Street. The officer knew of the warrant and took Reed into custody. During the arrest, Harms approached and stated he had belongings in Reed’s vehicle. Harms wished to remove his property before the vehicle was secured. Harms was allowed to do so; however, the officer requested a search of his belongings due to Harms being on Mandatory Supervised Release (Parole) from the Illinois Department of Corrections. Harms agreed and attempted to show his belongings while trying to conceal (5) used hypodermic syringes in his property. The officer placed Harms under arrest as well, taking the hypodermic syringes as evidence. Both men were transported to the Wabash County Jail, where Reed was issued his warrant and held pending extradition back to Richland County. Harms was charged, processed, and released on a Notice to Appear in court.
On 3/12/25, at approximately 8:46 am, Mt. Carmel Police received a complaint about a burglary to a vehicle parked at a residence in the 500 block of Chestnut Street. Upon arrival, the officer found that overnight, an unknown individual(s) had unlawfully entered the complainant’s 2015 GMC, removing a purse, wallet, and numerous cards that included social security and credit cards. During this time, an individual walking north on Chestnut found several of the cards lying on the roadway. The individual contacted the family and notified them of their findings. The investigating officer utilized video footage from several different surveillance cameras nearby and observed a male subject known to him as David Ryan Harms, age 37, walking while looking through a bag. As Harms examined the contents of the bag, he was seen throwing cards on the ground which were later found by the good Samaritan. The officer then responded back to the brown Buick, still parked at 9th & Poplar Street, where they encountered Harms. The officer advised Harms he was under arrest, at which time Harms took off running, resulting in the officer discharging his Taser to stop Harms’ flight. Harms was placed under arrest and transported to the Wabash County Jail. Harms was issued charges for Burglary, Theft, and Resisting/Obstructing a Peace Officer. Harms remains in custody at the Wabash County Jail, pending a pre-trial release determination by the court.
Later, on this date, with the assistance of Wabash County States Attorney Kelli Storckman, a request for a search warrant of the brown Buick was sought and granted by Wabash Circuit Court Judge William Hudson. Officers recovered mail belonging to three other individuals, unrelated to Harms or Reed. The mail was taken as evidence with further investigation pending due to this discovery.
David Ryan Harms