Elyria man gets more than 28 years in prison for 2019 shooting

An Elyria man recently was sentenced to nearly 30 years in prison after being found guilty of a drive-by shooting in the city in December 2019. Christopher Howse, whom multiple Lorain County law enforcement and legal sources called one of the most dangerous people in the county, was given an indefinite sentence of 28½ to 31½ years in prison by Lorain County Common Pleas Judge Christopher Rothgery on Jan. 10. Indicted by a grand jury in September 2020 and booked at Lorain County Jail on Dec. 14, 2020, Howse was charged with felonious assault, improperly discharging a firearm at or into a habitation or school safety zone, having weapons under disability and improper handling of firearms in a motor vehicle, as well as specifications for committing a drive-by shooting and having firearms in his possession while committing a felony. Authorities said Howse, 30, with a last known local address on Gateway Boulevard in Elyria, was in Arizona when U.S. marshals caught up with him, and he was arrested and returned to Ohio to stand trial. Howse pleaded not guilty, and his trial began in Rothgery's courtroom on Jan. 6. Assistant Lorain County Prosecutor Daniellela Bearden handled the case for the state and Howse was defended at trial by attorney Erin Downs. Bearden said a victim "was able to ID him (Howse) as the shooter." Rothgery also found Howse guilty of being a repeat violent offender but did not give Howse additional prison time as he could have, she said. Downs said the prosecution's case boiled down to one witness who testified Howse was the shooter. Jurors deliberated for about 90 minutes before reaching a verdict Jan. 8: Guilty on charges of felonious assault, improperly discharging a firearm at or into a habitation or school zone, discharging a firearm on or near prohibited premises, having weapons under disability and improperly handling firearms in a motor vehicle. Jurors also found Howse guilty of specifications to the charges for shooting from a motor vehicle and having firearms during the commission of a felony. Rothgery gave Howse credit for 393 days already served in jail while awaiting trial, according to court records. Delays in getting the case to trial were caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. "I'm glad we were able to get the trial done," Downs said. Howse intends to appeal, she said, and Rothgery appointed attorney Giovanna Bremke to handle the appeal. Bearden and Downs said charges still are pending against Howse in another case, in which he was charged with felony failure to comply and DUI in May 2019. The incident The shooting that led to his prison term took place more than two years ago. In that case, Elyria police officers responded to the 1200 block of West Avenue shortly before 6 p.m. on Dec. 22, 2019, for a report that someone had fired shots into a house. The gunfire was reported to have come from the 400 block of 12th Street, where an anonymous caller reported someone was shooting out the driver's side window of a black Chrysler 200. The gunfire sent residents of the neighborhood scrambling, throwing each other to the ground inside their homes when they heard the shots. They also reported hearing a car speed away from the scene. No one was injured. At least one bullet went through the wall of a bedroom, though no one was in it at the time. Officers found that bullet hole in the second story of 1206 West Ave., though a search didn't turn up any bullet fragments. Three .40-caliber shell casings were found on the south side of 12th Street in front of a residence where the occupants had reported hearing four gunshots, Elyria police reported. Elyria police Chief William Pelko said officers dealt with Howse often in the past, and that he was frequently involved in criminal activity in the city. "I want to put some accolades out there to Judge Rothgery for giving him the stiff sentence he did," Pelko said. Prior record A jury in Rothgery's court took less than 90 minutes on Nov. 2, 2021, to find Howse not guilty on charges of failure to comply with the order or signal of police and receiving stolen property. Rothgery also found Howse not guilty of driving under suspension, a misdemeanor. In February 2019, Elyria and Lorain police and FBI agents raided Howse's Gateway Boulevard residence and arrested him on charges of trafficking in drugs in the presence of a juvenile and tampering with evidence, among other charges. The prosecutor's office dismissed those charges in November 2019. In June 2017, a federal grand jury charged Howse with being a felon in possession of a firearm for allegedly possessing a 9 mm Taurus handgun in March 2017. Jurors found him not guilty of that charge following a trial in October 2018, according to federal court records. Howse was sentenced to three years on probation after pleading guilty to felony drug possession in Lorain County Common Pleas Court in 2016. In December 2011, Howse was sentenced to four years in prison in connection with three pending criminal cases, The Chronicle-Telegram reported at the time. A reputed member of the "M.A. Zone" gang, he pleaded guilty to aggravated robbery, kidnapping and weapons charges in connection with the July 2010 robbery of O'Hara's Beverage in Lorain; a June 2010 assault on his pregnant girlfriend; and to being in possession of a gun and marijuana while driving on a suspended license during a traffic stop in Elyria in April 2010. While awaiting trial on those charges, Howse was stabbed four times during an incident in Cascade Park in Elyria in May 2011. Afterward, he told Elyria police that while he knew who stabbed him, he was not going to "snitch" on the culprit, according to Chronicle archives. Reporters Kevin Martin and Dylan Reynolds contributed to this story. Contact Dave O'Brien at (440) 329-7129 or dobrien@chroniclet.com. Follow him on Twitter @daveobrienCT.