Repeat offender behind bars after robbing senior citizen

FORT MYERS, Fla.- A convicted felon is back behind bars this afternoon, after robbing a senior citizen Friday night and getting into a physical altercation with the woman’s husband.

Charles Harner, 37, is charged with robbery and battery on a person 65 or older.

According to the victim, she and her husband were headed to their car in the Perkins parking lot, at 14801 S. Tamiami Trail last night around 7:30 p.m. a white male pushed the woman and grabbed her purse.

When the suspect tried to run away, the victim’s husband attempted to get his wife’s purse back, and police say the robber assaulted the man.

After a brief struggle, the suspect managed to flee the scene.

Authorities tracked the man to a nearby Home Depot, where he was last seen getting into an SUV.

Detectives worked throughout the night to find the attacker, and Saturday morning, detectives arrested Harner.

To date, Harner has been arrested 17 times in Lee County on multiple counts of burglary, grand theft, battery, fraud, resisting arrest, larceny theft and a long list of probation violations.