Cattaraugus County man accused of raping 14-year-old girl

Content warning: this story contains details of alleged sexual assault.

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — A Cattaraugus County man is accused of raping a 14-year-old girl, and is also facing gun charges, according to New York State Police.

57-year-old Ronald A. Howard, of South Dayton, is accused of exchanging indecent material with a child and then having sexual intercourse with the girl.

During a search warrant conducted on Monday, police said they found five handguns, two assault rifles, one of which had a silencer, two assault rifle receivers, all of which did not have serial numbers, multiple large capacity magazines and two ballistic vests.

Howard is charged with the following:

• second-degree rape
• second-degree criminal sex act
• first-degree disseminating indecent material to a minor
• endangering the welfare of a child
• second-degree possession of a weapon
• third-degree criminal possession of a weapon
• registration and serialization of firearms, rifles, shotguns, finished frames or receivers, and unfinished frames or receivers
• manufacture, transport, disposition and defacement of weapons and dangerous instruments and appliances
• unlawful purchase of body armor

Howard was processed and is being held at Niagara County Jail pending arraignment.

Aidan Joly joined the News 4 staff in 2022. He is a graduate of Canisius College. You can see more of his work here .