Metro

HOLLIDAYSBURG — A jury was seated on Monday in Blair County court to hear the case against a city man accused of sending an acquaintance multiple threatening videos of himself with a firearm.

Kenneth Lucious Harrell, 36, is facing single felony counts of possession of a firearm prohibited, firearms not to be carried without a license and receiving stolen property, as well as single misdemeanor counts of making terroristic threats and harassment. His two-day jury trial is scheduled for Dec. 15 and 16, with Judge Jackie Atherton Bernard presiding.

When questioning potential jurors, Assistant District Attorney Nicholas Mays said that while the Second Amendment gives the right to bear arms, under Pennsylvania law certain individuals are restricted in that right. He then asked if any jurors believed that the right to bear arms should be absolute. Ultimately, no jurors were dismissed due to this line of questioning.

Defense attorney Devin Bennati then asked if any jurors had experience working with DNA evidence or working in DNA analysis and if that knowledge would change the way they viewed potential DNA evidence presented during trial, to which several jurors responded to the affirmative. They were subsequently dismissed.

Once satisfied with the panel, there were 12 jurors and four alternates seated, including six men and 10 women.

Those jurors will have evidence presented to them during trial that stems from a victim’s report to Hollidaysburg Borough police about Harrell’s alleged harassment in late May 2024.

According to the affidavit of probable cause, the victim told officers that he was being harassed by Harrell after a March incident between Harrell and a mutual friend outside the victim’s residence along the 500 block of Front Street in Hollidaysburg. The victim said they were trying to pull him into the situation, but he told them he “wanted no part of it.”

Police records state that the group went their separate ways, and then, on May 10, Harrell appeared at the victim’s place of employment. The victim said he told Harrell to leave and that he had obtained his concealed carry permit and was carrying a concealed weapon for self-defense.

The victim told officers that Harrell began texting him on May 11 and sent a video of himself with a semi-automatic handgun, court documents state. The victim said he showed the video to Harrell’s parole officer and they were able to identify Harrell, due to the tattoos on his right hand. The victim also received threatening messages from the same number.

The affidavit shows that about 8:06 a.m. May 31, the victim began receiving texts from Harrell, with the first reading “morning sun shine come outside.”

Harrell sent a video a minute later of himself driving past the victim’s residence, court documents state. While speaking on the video, the camera panned down to show the same semi-automatic handgun on Harrell’s lap.

The victim then went to Hollidaysburg police to file a report.

Police said due to felony drug related convictions, Harrell is a person not to possess a firearm.

Officers obtained a search warrant for Harrell’s vehicle and residence. While no firearms were found in Harrell’s vehicle, in his residence officers located a firearm under a corner shelving unit. It was the same weapon shown in the videos, the report states, noting the gun was a Palmetto State Armory 9mm semi-automatic handgun containing 10 rounds of federal ammunition. Based on its serial number, police said the gun was reported stolen.

Mirror Staff Writer Rachel Foor-Musselman is at 814-946-7458.