Youngstown man charged with drugs, weapons, traffic offenses in Liberty

Staff report

LIBERTY

Jeffery C. Howell, 34, of Early Road, Youngstown, was arraigned on drugs, weapons and traffic charges Friday after a traffic stop on Belmont Avenue on Thursday.

A Liberty police officer stopped the vehicle Howell was driving at 10:33 a.m. after it turned onto Liberty Street and then into a gas station on Belmont Avenue without using a turn signal.

During the traffic stop, the driver’s door opened, and the officer noticed a magazine of bullets protruding from the driver’s door pocket, according to a police report.

Howell was detained, and officers found a loaded handgun between the driver’s seat and console. The magazine had nine bullets, the gun had 14.

Officers also found a cloth bag in Howell’s pocket containing 24.1 grams of suspected heroin, 22.6 grams of suspected crack cocaine and 1.5 grams of suspected marijuana.

Judge Jeffrey Adler of Girard Municipal Court set bond at $63,500 on three counts of drug trafficking and single counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm and possessing criminal tools.

If convicted, Howell could get more than 20 years in prison.

He was not asked to enter a plea on the felony charges but pleaded not guilty to failure to reinstate his driver’s license and a turn-signal violation. He returns to court Tuesday morning on the traffic violations and at 10 a.m. March 18 on the felonies.