Randall Harris, the brother of executed killer Robert Alton Harris, said Thursday he was harassed and embarrassed by San Quentin Prison guards in the hours before his brother was put to death in the gas chamber.
Harris, who was at the prison to witness his brother's death, submitted to the normal pat down and metal detection searches when he entered the facility at 10 p.m. PDT Monday. But he said he was later removed from the witness room after a guard told him "we heard you were going to cause trouble."He said he was subjected to a total body strip search and told "if you cause any trouble, you'll be sorry and your brother will be sorry."
However, Sgt. Don Lindsey, who was in the room along with four other prison officials at the time of the search, says that was not the case.
"He complied with what we asked him to do and the only question he asked was to ask . . . who told the guards he was going to cause trouble," Lindsey said. "No one threatened him."
Lindsey said the warden had received information from a reliable unnamed source that Randall Harris was going to cause a disturbance.
"We didn't want anything to compromise the security of the area," said Lindsey defending the search.
Harris said he felt "humiliated" by the search and commotion.
"I felt totally humiliated, stripped of all my dignity and respect at this point," said Harris in a prepared statement. "I was afraid if I did not comply with everything they were subjecting me to - even though I was appalled by what was happening - they would take me away and I would not be there for Robbie in his final moments."