A Harrison father is facing a slate of charges after prosecutors say Cincinnati police found a loaded handgun tucked under his infant's car seat during a traffic stop.
Prosecutors say officers pulled over 26-year-old Damonte Howard on Tuesday in Hamilton County after learning his vehicle was linked to several outstanding warrants. During the stop, they say officers spotted what they described as a recently smoked joint inside the car and then discovered a loaded gun under the baby's car seat. Howard is now charged with endangering children, carrying concealed weapons and improperly handling a firearm in a motor vehicle.
Traffic Stop Leads To Gun Under Child's Seat
In court, prosecutors told WLWT that Cincinnati officers initially stopped Howard because his car was tied to several warrants. During a search of the vehicle, they say they found a loaded handgun directly beneath the infant's car seat, along with evidence of a recently smoked joint.
According to prosecutors, Howard told officers he keeps the gun "for protection." That statement, they say, did not change the fact that the weapon was stored within reach under a child's seat.
Charges And The Law
Howard now faces multiple counts under Ohio law. The endangering children charge can be filed as a misdemeanor or elevated to a felony, depending on the level of harm and any prior convictions. The improper handling of a firearm in a motor vehicle centers on bans against transporting a loaded gun in a way that makes it accessible to people in the car.
For those who want to dig into the technical language, the child endangerment statute is set out in the Ohio Revised Code, and the rules on improperly handling a firearm in a vehicle are detailed in the Ohio Revised Code. Practical summaries of Ohio gun regulations and carrying rules are also available through legal guides such as FindLaw.
What’s Next
WLWT did not report whether the infant was in the vehicle at the exact moment of the traffic stop. Howard's case will continue in Hamilton County court, where future hearings and filings will be logged in the public record. Curious residents can track the case through the Hamilton County Clerk of Courts' online records search via the Hamilton County Clerk of Courts.
