Deputy reports firearm, open beer
VERMILION TWP — A Vermilion Township man was booked into the Erie County jail Thursday after a single-vehicle crash in which a deputy reported finding him apparently passed out behind the wheel with a handgun on the passenger seat.
David Howells, 64, was booked on the following charges, according to the jail roster:
- Operating a vehicle while impaired
- Improperly handling a firearm in a motor vehicle
- Open container
The sheriff’s report also lists failure to control and fictitious registration as alleged offenses. Neither was displayed among the three charges on Thursday’s jail roster.
His next court date is scheduled for 9 a.m. Aug. 18 in Vermilion Municipal Court.
The crash was reported at about 3:55 p.m. Aug. 10 at state Route 60 and Trinter Road. Howells’ Chevrolet pickup reportedly left the roadway and entered a ditch, according to an Erie County sheriff’s report.
The deputy wrote that Howells appeared to be passed out in the driver’s seat when he arrived. A civilian was attempting to speak with Howells, but the deputy reported that Howells could only mumble and could not be understood.
The deputy also reported seeing a .40-caliber Hi-Point handgun in plain view on the passenger seat. He secured the weapon before helping Vermilion Township firefighters remove Howells from the pickup.
Howells was taken by ambulance to a Lorain hospital.
After returning to the pickup, the deputy reported detecting the odor of alcohol and finding a cold beer that was about three-quarters full inside a beverage holder. About six empty beer cans reportedly were found inside a cooler on the passenger seat.
At the hospital, the deputy reported that Howells displayed slurred speech and six of six clues during an eye examination. Howells told the deputy he had consumed one beer, according to the report.
Howells agreed to provide a urine sample. The results were not included in the report.
Howells also told the deputy he had recently been sick and had dozed off while driving.
The sheriff’s report additionally lists failure to control and fictitious registration as alleged offenses. The jail roster did not display those two offenses.
The report identifies the improper-handling allegation as a fifth-degree felony. The case remains pending.