A Cincinnati man is facing a stack of charges after police say he took off from a traffic stop, then turned up a short time later with three small children and two open bottles of vodka inside his vehicle. Court documents identify the driver as James Elder Pompey, and records show the case has been filed in Hamilton County Municipal Court.
Traffic stop and pursuit
According to court documents reviewed by WKRC, officers in a fully marked cruiser with blue lights and siren activated tried to pull Pompey over on Saturday. The paperwork states Pompey "knowingly fled from officers after the attempted stop was initiated," kicking off a pursuit that ended when officers eventually caught up with him and took him into custody.
Children and open alcohol
Once the vehicle was stopped, officers checked inside and found three small children along with two open containers of "Tito's Vodka," according to the filings. Pompey told officers he had only consumed "a small amount of vodka," the court documents note, as reported by WKRC.
Charges and legal implications
Court paperwork shows Pompey is charged with three counts of endangering children, one count of failure to comply with an order or signal of a police officer, and one count of possession of an open container. Under Ohio law, endangering children can be treated as a misdemeanor or, in more serious situations, raised to a felony, with potential penalties and driver license sanctions outlined in Ohio Revised Code §2919.22 (Ohio Revised Code). Fleeing or eluding a police officer is addressed in Ohio Revised Code §2921.331 (Ohio Revised Code), which lays out when a failure to comply can be charged as a felony and notes that courts may weigh factors such as the risk of serious physical harm at sentencing.
Court records and next steps
The listed charges were filed in Hamilton County Municipal Court, and the case is publicly accessible through the court's online CaseLook system. Members of the public can search docket entries for upcoming hearings or new filings through the Hamilton County Municipal Court public portal at CaseLook.
