Former 'Deadliest Catch' star facing theft, drug charges in Monroe

A former “Deadliest Catch” fisherman has pleaded not guilty to four charges in Monroe Municipal Court.

Jacob Harris, who now lives in Marysville, according to court documents, was reportedly caught at Walmart on Dec.14 trying to make a fraudulent return. Monroe Police officer Nathan Erdmann spoke with the 32-year-old and another suspect after an employee reported they were not being cooperative, according to probable cause documents.

Video footage shows Harris and another man walked into the store carrying nothing, according to court documents. The employee told Erdmann that Harris had allegedly picked a waterproof car-top bag valued at about $70 off a shelf, and then tried to return the item.

The transaction was flagged as suspicious. When the employee approached Harris, he refused to give his name, then left to meet up with the other man, who also wouldn't identify who he was, according to court documents.

Harris appeared on a few seasons of “The Deadliest Catch,” where he worked on the Cornelia Marie, owned by his father, the late Phil Harris. His other brother, Josh Harris, is currently running the crab fishing boat, and was featured on the most recent season.

Harris authored a book with his brother about their father.

Harris' pretrial hearing in Monroe Municipal Court is scheduled for 8:45 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 22.

The Walmart employee later confirmed Harris and the other man he was with at the store had already been trespassed from the property.

When Erdmann met up with them, the other man was found to have a warrant out for his arrest, and was detained, according to court documents. Harris was asked to empty his pockets, and allegedly pulled out a set of illegal metal knuckles. Another officer reportedly found a small bag of heroin in his pocket.

The man Harris was with reportedly had equipment for smoking heroin on him, according to court documents. Harris told law enforcement a pickup parked nearby was his. A meth pipe was allegedly found in the truck bed.

He reportedly wouldn't give consent for Monroe Police to search the rest of the vehicle, so it was towed. Once a warrant was secured, a search turned up more paraphernalia, according to court documents.

Video footage also allegedly showed Harris driving the pickup into the Walmart parking lot that afternoon. His driver’s license was suspended at the time in the first degree, according to the documents.

The charges Harris faces are one count of first-degree criminal trespass, one count of third-degree attempted theft, one count of first-degree driving with a license suspended, and one count of use of drug paraphernalia. Those are three gross misdemeanors and one misdemeanor, respectively.

Harris did not show up for his March 21 arraignment, according to court documents. Bail was set at $7,500 for if he was picked up, and a $50 fee for the warrant.

The warrant was served on July 22, according to court documents. He posted bail on July 30.

He was eligible for court appointed counsel, and must notify the court if he changes his address. He may not use prescription drugs, commit any criminal violations, or drive without a valid license, according to court documents.

This is not Harris’ first run-in with the law.

He was arrested in Phoenix in April 2017 for allegedly stealing a woman’s car he’d driven there with from Washington, and also drug possession. He was also arrested for DUI in 2010.

Harris was beaten and robbed in 2016 in Everett, and reportedly suffered brain damage as a result of his injuries. Two people were later arrested in Spokane for the attack and robbery.

A number of “The Deadliest Catch” stars' recent legal troubles have landed them in the public eye.

The Seattle Times reported last Friday that the show's longtime captain of the Northwestern, Sig Hansen, paid an undisclosed amount of money to an Uber driver he allegedly spit on last year, in order to avoid a lawsuit. The publication also reported at the end of last month a sexual abuse case filed by his daughter is going to trial.

Hansen's brother, Edgar Hansen, who helped him run the boat for a number of seasons, pleaded guilty last month in the Everett Division of Snohomish County District Court to fourth-degree sexual assault of a teenage girl last September, according to court documents. He was ordered to sexual deviancy treatment as part of an agreement with the Snohomish County Prosecuting Attorney.