Wilmington man convicted of perjury after accusing judge of assault

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — A Wilmington man has been convicted of perjury after prosecutors say he falsely claimed in a sworn affidavit that a New Hanover County judge physically assaulted him during a court hearing.

A New Hanover County jury found 67-year-old Barry Eugene Harris Jr. guilty of perjury Friday, Sept. 11, according to the Sixth Prosecutorial District Attorney’s Office.

Senior Resident Superior Court Judge R. Kent Harrell sentenced Harris to 24 months of supervised probation with a suspended prison sentence of 13 to 25 months. Harris was also ordered to serve 48 hours in jail.

The charge stemmed from litigation involving an equitable distribution case between Harris and his ex-wife that was overseen by New Hanover County District Court Judge Jeffrey Noecker.

According to prosecutors, Harris filed a sworn affidavit on March 19, 2025, seeking to have Noecker removed from the case.

In the affidavit, Harris claimed that during a November 2024 hearing, Noecker “flew into a rage” and physically assaulted him by pushing him into the witness box while yelling, “get out of my way.”

Noecker denied assaulting Harris or making any physical contact with him, according to the district attorney’s office. Prosecutors said an audio recording from the November hearing did not corroborate Harris’ allegation.

Harris’ wife, Melanie Harris, filed a similar affidavit, according to prosecutors. The jury did not reach a unanimous verdict in the case against her.

The case against Barry Harris was prosecuted by Jonathan Holbrook and Carissa Thornton, resource prosecutors with the North Carolina Conference of District Attorneys.