A man in St. Paul is facing multiple charges after he allegedly placed a gun inside a diaper bag during a traffic stop, which was later found by a child.
Charging documents say Kenneth Ray Terry, 37, is facing two misdemeanor charges, endangerment of a child by firearm access and possessing a pistol without a permit in a public area.
Both charges stemmed from a traffic stop on May 11 when Terry was pulled over by St. Paul police for not wearing a seatbelt.
Terry informed the officer who pulled him over that he did not have a license, and the officer discovered Terry had warrants out for his arrest. Court documents did not list what those warrants were for.
When other squad cars arrived, Terry reportedly reached into the back of the car where three children under the age of three were present. The officer who pulled him over believed he was just checking on the children.
When told he had a warrant for arrest, Terry said it was for someone else, but he was still taken into custody.
Court documents said the children were still in the back seat when one of the kids became concerned his sibling had mucus dripping from his nose.
The child opened a Mickey Mouse diaper bag on the floor of the car to grab a tissue, but then turned toward an officer holding a gun.
The officer had the child set the firearm on the car seat and then took it out of the reach of the children. Court documents said the gun had a loaded magazine with six bullets but did not have one loaded into the chamber of the weapon.
Terry had reprotedly gotten the weapon after he received death threats, saying he got the gun for protection. Terry said he had placed the firearm by the diaper bag because he had been pulled over, according to court records.
Courtesy of KSTP
