The Lancaster County Sheriff’s Department says a man who’s prohibited from carrying a weapon had a loaded handgun with him during a traffic stop Saturday night. Chief Deputy Ben Houchin says around 11:45 p.m. deputies saw a blue Ford pickup that was weaving back and forth and constantly braking near SW 48th and West ‘O’ Street.
He says they were able to get the truck stopped about eight blocks away. Houchin says deputies smelled alcohol coming from the truck and ordered 50-year-old Steven Stowers out of the vehicle. “Deputies observed signs of impairment and requested Stowers take a field sobriety test.”
Houchin says Stowers refused to take the test. During a search, deputies found a loaded handgun in his front right pocket. Houchin says Stowers is a convicted felon with a history of violence. “He has no business carrying a gun and being intoxicated.”
Stowers was booked for possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, DUI, refusal of a chemical test, carrying a concealed weapon and refusing to submit to a preliminary breath test. In January, 2022 KLIN News reported on a stabbing Stowers was involved in.
It happened at CJ’s Neighborhood Bar at 200 West P Street. Police say a 49 year old man had been stabbed twice in the head and neck and was taken to a hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Stowers was still at the scene. Police learned the stabbing stemmed from a card game and Stowers was intoxicated at the time.
A bar knife with a three inch blade was used in the stabbing.