PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. — A man wanted in connection with a toddler’s drug overdose has been arrested after more than a year on the run, authorities said.
Bruce Harris, 34, was taken into custody at a hotel in Deltona following a 15-month search involving local investigators, surrounding agencies, and the U.S. Marshals Service.
The case began in January 2025 when deputies responded to a Satsuma home and rescued a 1-year-old child who had overdosed on illegal drugs left within reach. The child survived after deputies and fire-rescue personnel provided lifesaving care and was later confirmed through medical testing to have suffered an opioid overdose.
Investigators said Harris, who was dating the child’s mother at the time, fled before he could be arrested as detectives began looking into the circumstances surrounding the overdose.
Authorities say Harris remained at large until his recent arrest with assistance from the U.S. Marshals and the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office.
Harris now faces multiple charges, including neglect of a child causing great bodily harm, six counts of possession of a firearm or ammunition by a convicted felon, cocaine possession with intent to sell, multiple counts of possession of a controlled substance without a prescription, maintaining a nuisance structure for drug activity, trafficking drugs, marijuana distribution, and trafficking methamphetamine.
He was booked into the Volusia County Jail.
Officials credited the coordinated efforts of multiple agencies for locating and arresting Harris, calling him a prolific offender.