Mom charged with fatal DUI visits bar after son’s funeral

ERIE, Pa. — An Erie County woman charged in the drunk-driving death of her son went to a bar after his funeral instead of reporting back to jail, state police said.

A judge had given Erin Howard, 26, of Corry, permission to leave the Erie County Prison for 24 hours to attend her son’s funeral in Ohio, with orders to return to the lockup by 3 p.m. Saturday.

Instead, Howard went to a bar called Tailgaters in Hamilton, Ohio, about a mile from the church where the funeral for 6-year-old Samuel Carpenter was held, police said.

Ms. Howard had been in prison in lieu of $75,000 bail on charges that she was driving drunk when she crashed into a creek bank near Corry, killing Samuel on June 14 — her 26th birthday.

Trooper Mark Van Horn said in a criminal complaint that he was notified at 8 p.m. Saturday that Ms. Howard had not returned to prison.

State police in Erie found out Sunday morning that Ms. Howard had been arrested in Hamilton after her son’s father tipped Ohio authorities to her whereabouts. She was being held in Ohio awaiting extradition to Erie.

Ms. Howard has now been charged with escape in addition to involuntary manslaughter, drunken driving, child endangerment and other charges related to the crash.

Ms. Howard told investigators she was celebrating her 26th birthday and had smoked marijuana and drunk liquor mixed with root beer in the hours before the accident, police said. Her son was sitting in the front seat and not wearing a seat belt.

"Who would have thought that someone who was extended the courtesy of attending a dead child’s funeral would not comply with the terms and conditions of the furlough," Erie County District Attorney Brad Foulk told the Erie Times-News.

"It is absolutely beyond my comprehension."