Arthur Lee Harmon III, 23, will be sentenced to life in prison after a jury last week convicted him of one count of burglary while armed with a firearm while wearing a mask, a first-degree felony.

Assistant State Attorney Danielle Grundt led the complex prosecution which involved exceptional coordination among detectives from Delray Beach Police Department, Boynton Beach Police Department and the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office. Prosecutor Daniel Reiter also tried the case with Grundt.

During the trial, jurors learned the victim in the case left his house in Delray for less than 15 minutes and when he returned home, he was confronted by four intruders.

One of the assailants was wearing a ski mask over his face and pointed a firearm with an extended magazine at the victim. The intruders then fled from the house through a window and hopped in a black Audi SUV.

But as they were rushing to get out of the house, the intruders accidentally dropped a backpack containing a pair of gloves, and one of them left behind a black Versace slide sandal. The victim also discovered that the intruders stole several items of jewelry and some medications.

About two hours later, a PBSO tactical team located the Audi in Riviera Beach. While fleeing from the agents, the SUV crashed into a house. All four occupants fled but were quickly arrested. Inside the Audi, detectives found two firearms (including one with an extended magazine), the victim’s stolen jewelry, the victim’s medications, as well as the other black Versace slide sandal, ski masks, and gloves.

The defendant’s DNA was found on the inside of the gloves that were found inside the backpack in the victim’s home.

Harmon’s jury made special findings that the defendant actually possessed a firearm, wore a mask, and that the structure was a dwelling. In the trial’s second phase, the jury found the defendant qualified as a Prison Release Re-offender, with the crime occurring within three years of his release. For that reason, the defendant must be sentenced to life imprisonment, to be served day-for-day.

Circuit Judge Scott Suskauer presided over the trial. A case status hearing is set for March 5 to discuss a date for sentencing.

This case serves as a great example of how our Gangs, Guns & Drug Trafficking Unit works with law enforcement to ensure stronger cases and a safer community.