Butler Co. Man Charged For Letting Girl, 11, Handle Loaded Gun
BUTLER (KDKA) – A Butler County man is facing charges for letting a young girl retrieve a loaded handgun from a dumpster.
Butler Police say 22-year-old James Howard-George was babysitting the 11-year-old girl when the incident happened on Saturday afternoon.
A video surveillance camera in the back of the Butler Area Public Library shows the child with Howard-George while he stashed the gun in a dumpster. When they return a few minutes later, police say the video shows the girl runs to the dumpster and grabs the weapon.
"She ran back to the scene, grabbed it and apparently placed it in a different position in the dumpster," said Deputy Chief David Adam, of Butler Police.
The weapon cannot be seen on the surveillance video, but it's described as a .380-caliber with six live rounds and nothing was in the chamber.
Police were tipped off by a witness who saw the girl handling the gun.
"It was just a blessing that the person that called it in saw it so quickly," said Deputy Chief Adam.
The description from the witness, a chance encounter with Howard-George that day, and surveillance camera footage all helped police identify and arrest Howard-George within a few hours.
No one was hurt, but police admit the outcome could have been different.
"It could have been a tragic ending," said Deputy Chief Adam. "We see these stories all the time in the paper and on the news.
Howard-George is facing a list of charges including, child endangerment, corruption of a minor and firearms violations.
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