INDIANAPOLIS — On the same day that Los Angeles County authorities charged an Indiana man with multiple felony weapons charges in California, police in Southern Indiana announced him as a suspect in a sexual assault investigation involving a juvenile.
James Wesley Howell is accused of sexually abusing an underage girl in his car May 31 after exchanging online messages, family members of the girl told The Indianapolis Star. The newspaper typically does not name people who are or may have been victims of sexual assault.
The sexual assault investigation is happening in Indiana’s Clark County, where Howell lives. The Clark County Sheriff’s Office is cooperating with the FBI, according to a news release Tuesday.
The FBI served a search warrant Monday night at Howell's home in Jeffersonville, Ind., FBI officials confirmed to The Indianapolis Star. They would not say what agents were looking for, or whether anything was taken from the home.
Howell, 20, faces three felonies and a misdemeanor in connection with his arrest in Santa Monica, Calif., on Sunday. He was charged with possession of an assault weapon, possession of explosives on a public highway and possession of a high-capacity magazine, said Deputy District Attorney Sean Carney. The misdemeanor charge was for possession of a loaded weapon.
Howell told police he was traveling to a gay pride event in Los Angeles. Police said they found several weapons and explosives:
• Twenty-five pounds of Shoc-Shot, an explosive used for blowing up targets. The two components needed to make it explosive had been mixed.
• An Anderson Manufacturing AM-115 .223-caliber assault rifle. The rifle had a round in its chamber and additional rounds in a 30-round magazine attached to it. Another 30-round magazine was taped to the rifle.
• A .30-06 bolt-action rifle with a round in its chamber.
• A .22-caliber Ruger semi-automatic.
Police said they also found a black hood, Taser, handcuffs, buck knife, security badge, additional ammunition for the rifles and a five-gallon container of gasoline, according to court documents.
During Howell's arraignment Tuesday, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Keith Schwartz labeled him a potential danger to the community by driving a car filled with explosives.
"I cannot think of any good reason for someone to be traveling across the country with these items," said Schwartz. He also noted that Howell apparently had violated a probation requirement from Indiana that he surrender all weapons. Howell was sentenced to a year of probation and ordered to forfeit all weapons in April after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor intimidation charge in Clark County.
Three days after his plea deal, a grand jury across the river in Louisville, indicted Howell on separate charges of speeding, fleeing police and reckless driving. That case is pending.
Howell's arrest in California attracted national attention because it occurred Sunday, just hours after a gunman burst into a gay nightclub in Orlando where 49 died before he was shot to death by police. Police later said, however, that Howell had not voice any threats toward the L.A. Pride festival that he said he would attend.
Friends said Howell harbored no violent feelings toward the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. An ex-boyfriend, 17-year-old Zach Hambrick, said Howell wasn't open about his sexuality.
Still, in arguing for higher bail at Howell's arraignment, Carney, the deputy district attorney, said Howell presented a clear risk to the community. Carney noted how the explosive components were already mixed.
"Target enthusiasts don't mix these substances until they are ready to use them," said Carney. He also said the weapons were believed to have been purchased by Howell's father.
Howell's attorney argued that the black hood was just an article of clothing and that the Shoc-Shot is a commercially available product. Another hearing date was set for reconsideration of bail.
Howell remains in jail in Los Angeles on a $2 million bond.
Michael Anthony Adams and Jill Disis report for The Indianapolis Star; Chris Woodyard, who reports for USA TODAY, reported from Los Angeles. Follow Michael Anthony Adams, Jill Disis and Chris Woodyard on Twitter: @michaeladams317, @jdisis and @ChrisWoodyard
