BATAVIA, Ohio — A 22-year-old Batavia man faces a second-degree misdemeanor charge after police say he failed to immediately disclose he was carrying a concealed handgun when questioned during a disturbance call — even though Ohio has been a constitutional carry state since 2022.
Austin G. Reinhardt was charged according to a complaint and affidavit filed in Clermont County Municipal Court.
Ohio became a constitutional carry state in June 2022, allowing eligible adults to carry concealed handguns without a permit. However, those who hold a concealed handgun license are still required under state law to inform officers during a law enforcement encounter that they are armed.
Officers responded around 8 p.m. March 15 to Eastwood Drive for a reported disturbance. They located Reinhardt seated in the rear passenger seat of a vehicle in the parking lot outside the building, according to court documents.
During initial contact with the occupants, officers detected an odor of burnt marijuana coming from inside the vehicle. Officers said they asked the occupants, specifically Reinhardt, if there were any illegal narcotics or firearms inside. Reinhardt did not immediately respond but later advised officers that he had his personal firearm located next to him in the rear of the vehicle.
The charge is a second-degree misdemeanor.
