MERCER COUNTY, WV (LOOTPRESS) – A Welch man is facing serious charges after he allegedly sexually assaulted an underage female.
According to the West Virginia State Police, on January 31st, 2024, an underage victim told police that in November of 2021, she was underage to buy a vape. She told her friend and the friend said, “Foreign Izzy,” a male friend, could buy her one. The underage victim contacted “Foreign Izzy” through Snapchat. The victim said she told the man she was underage, and he began to back off.
Later, the suspect, Israel Arkel Harris, 25, of Welch, also known as “Foreign Izzy,” told the victim to meet her in a wooded area behind Holly Hills Estate, at which time she gave him the money for a vape. As she began to walk away, Harris grabbed her by her hair and pulled her back towards him. The victim said she feared for her life because she noticed a “lump” on his hip and feared it was a gun. The victim said she knew he carried guns based on previous Facebook posts with firearms. Harris allegedly began to assault the minor in the woods sexually.
When Harris finished, he drove off, and the victim said she went to her friend’s house to clean herself up.
Troopers say they could not gather information through Snapchat due to the time-lapse. They did find “Foreign Izzy” on Facebook and observed multiple posts showing him carrying what appears to be a semi-automatic handgun inside his waist.
Harris is charged with two counts of sexual assault and one count of assault during the commission of a felony. He is currently held in the Southern Regional Jail under a 50,000 dollar cash-only bond.
