Driver cited for running red light in Warren arrested for failing to disclose concealed weapon

An Akron man who police say ran a red light while driving through Warren ended up getting more than just a traffic citation on Wednesday.

Police say 33-year-old Tavares Alexander was pulled over after failing to stop at a red traffic light at Tod and Fifth Avenues.

An officer who wrote him a traffic ticket was walking away when he learned from another officer that Alexander has a permit to carry a concealed weapon.

When asked if he had a gun, Alexander told police that it was in the car’s console.

The officer found the handgun and arrested Alexander for violating an Ohio law that requires holders of CCW permits who encounter law enforcement officials to notify those officers that they are in possession of a weapon.

Alexander was handcuffed and taken to Trumbull County Jail until his arraignment on Thursday, where he pleaded not guilty. Another court hearing was set for October.

Just last week, Municipal Court Judge Thomas Gysegem dismissed a similar charge that had been filed against a Warren woman in July.

A Warren woman, who had called the police to remove a man from her home, failed to tell the investigating officers she had a gun in her purse.

Lawmakers in Columbus are currently considering House Bill 89 which would modify the requirement that a concealed handgun licensee must notify a law enforcement officer that the licensee is authorized to carry a concealed handgun and is carrying a concealed handgun.

Under the bill, whose co-sponsors include Representative Tim Ginter of Columbiana County, CCW permit holders would only be required to notify officers that they are carrying a weapon if the officer asks.

If passed, the revised law removes the penalties for violating the law, which currently is a misdemeanor.