Schenectady man found guilty of weapon charges
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SCHENECTADY, N.Y. (NEWS10)-- A Schenectady man was found guilty by a jury on January 10 for weapon charges from a 2022 incident. Demetrius Howard, 52, was found guilty on five charges.
According to the Schenectady County District Attorney's Office, on October 18, 2022, police arrested Howard after officers reportedly saw him take a bag from his co-defendant which contained a loaded handgun. When officers tried to take the bag from Howard, he reportedly grabbed the officer's wrist, grabbed the bag and fled the scene.
Additional police officers found Howard behind Crane Street near Francis Avenue about two minutes after he fled. According to the DA's office, when Howard was in custody, they tested the gun determining Howard was the major contributor to the DNA profile from the grip of the handgun.
He was charged with:
- Two counts of Criminal Possession of a weapon in the second degree, a class C violent felony
- Criminal Possession of a weapon, a high-capacity ammunition feeding device, in the third degree, a class D violent felony
- Criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree, a class-D non-violent felony
- Tampering with physical evidence
According to the DA's office, he was found guilty on all charges. Howard also has four prior felony convictions, the DA's office said.
"Mr. Howard, who was 50 years old at the time of this incident, secreted his gun in a handbag and gave it to his 24-year-old girlfriend to hold. He claimed at trial that she owned the gun. The observations of the police at the scene, the DNA evidence and the effective cross-examination by ADA (Assistant District Attorney) Burock shattered that argument at trial and Mr. Howard will face the consequences at sentencing," District Attorney Robert Carney said.
Due to his record, he faces between five and 15 years for the second-degree weapon charge, three to seven years for the high-capacity magazine charge and up to four years for tampering with physical evidence. The office said it's up to the judge to determine if those charges will run consecutively or concurrently.