Two Vero Beach residents are facing potentially life-altering sentences after an Indian River County jury found them guilty of a meticulously planned 2021 armed robbery at a local adult arcade. The conviction brings closure to a brazen late-night crime that shook the local business community.
Following a trial presided over by Judge Dan Vaughn, an Indian River County jury deliberated for less than three hours before convicting Gerry Smith Jr. and Kymisha Harris of multiple felony charges related to the armed robbery of Vero Beach Bingo.
The incident traces back to the early morning hours of November 15, 2021. Just before 3 a.m., Indian River County Sheriff’s Office deputies received a distressing 911 call from an employee at Vero Beach Bingo, located in the 900 block of 14th Lane within the Majestic Plaza. The caller reported being robbed at gunpoint of her personal cell phone and the business’s daily earnings.
According to court documents and trial testimony presented by the prosecution, the robbery was a coordinated effort between the two defendants. Kymisha Harris, 38, who was known as a regular customer at the arcade, remained at the establishment until closing time to ensure the business was empty of other patrons. Shortly after Harris exited, two employees locked the doors but soon heard a knocking sound. Assuming Harris had forgotten a personal item, they opened the door.
Instead of a returning customer, an individual wearing a tightly pulled hooded sweatshirt leaped from out of sight. The masked intruder, later identified as 30-year-old Gerry Smith Jr., brandished a silver .38-caliber revolver. He forced the employees into the back office, where he seized approximately $2,500 in cash, alongside an employee’s personal cell phone and the business’s handheld phone, before fleeing the scene.
The subsequent police response highlighted the rapid coordination of Indian River County law enforcement:
- Digital Tracking: Deputies immediately tracked the stolen personal cell phone, observing its signal traveling southbound on 43rd Avenue toward Oslo Road.
- Aerial Support: An Indian River County Sheriff’s helicopter monitored the area and identified a single vehicle on the road, following it directly to a residence in the 1200 block of 36th Avenue Southwest, which was identified as Harris’s home.
- Apprehension: Law enforcement observed a female driver and a male passenger exiting the vehicle and entering the residence.
- Scanner Evasion: Detectives noted that Smith had been using a police scanner application to monitor local law enforcement. Realizing the stolen phone was acting as a tracker, he discarded it in the 300 block of 43rd Avenue Southwest.
Upon initial questioning, both Smith and Harris admitted to being at the arcade that evening but vehemently denied any involvement in the heist. However, a judicially approved search warrant of the residence uncovered undeniable evidence. Detectives located a bag containing a substantial amount of cash and a loaded .38-caliber revolver containing six rounds. Incriminatingly, the cash was separated into distinct stacks, with paper labels reading “$2,500” and “Fish Game”—a popular game played at local adult arcades.
On April 17, the jury handed down a swift guilty verdict. Gerry Smith Jr. was convicted of robbery with a deadly weapon while wearing a mask, tampering with evidence, tampering with a witness, and aggravated assault. Kymisha Harris was found guilty of robbery with a deadly weapon.
Both individuals have prior felony convictions on their records. They are currently being held without bond in the Indian River County Jail awaiting their formal sentencing, which is scheduled for May 15. Due to the severity of the charges, both Vero Beach residents face maximum penalties of up to life in the state penitentiary. Defense attorneys representing the pair have not issued public statements regarding the outcome of the trial.
