On Tuesday, a Bogalusa man “celebrated” his 54th birthday in the rear seat of a Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office patrol unit as he was being driven to the Washington Parish Jail, according to WPSO Chief Deputy Mike Haley.

Haley said that Darryl C. Harris, a resident of 1802 Davenport Ave., was booked into the jail and charged with two counts of distribution of illegal narcotics, six counts of possession with intent to distribute illegal narcotics and one count of possession of drug paraphernalia. As of Thursday morning, Harris remained in jail with his bond set at $400,000.

“The arrest came as the result of an ongoing investigation into the sale of illegal narcotics at the Front Street residence of Harris,” Haley said. “During a search of the premises, Sheriff’s Office detectives and patrol officers discovered quantities of heroin, crack cocaine, methamphetamine and OxyContin, along with drug paraphernalia and $531 which appeared to be proceeds from the sale of illegal drugs.”

Haley said that Harris has a history of incarceration for drug arrests from 2011 through his current arrest. In all, he has been in the Washington Parish Jail on seven previous occasions, with his birthday arrest bringing the number to eight, Haley said.

“I extend my gratitude to Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office patrol deputy Chad Cassard, who took the lead on this case,” Washington Parish Sheriff Randy Seal said. “He, along with Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office narcotics detectives and officers from the Bogalusa Police Department, finalized the investigation with the search warrant and arrest.

“They did an excellent job in this matter as we continue our quest to seek out and arrest drug dealers in our parish. Hopefully, the $400,000 bond will keep Harris in jail and off the streets of our parish until the District Attorney’s Office can vigorously prosecute him and help ensure him a bed in a state prison.”