Columbus curfew: What to know about added enforcement after Short North mass shooting

Columbus police will be enforcing a youth curfew in the Short North this weekend after a mass shooting last Sunday left 10 people injured, Mayor Andrew Ginther announced Thursday.

This curfew is technically always in effect but is not always enforced, he added.

Here's what you need to know about it.

What is the Columbus curfew?

Section 2319.30 of Columbus city code calls for different curfews for youth under 13 and those aged 13 through 17.

No minor under 13 is permitted to "loiter, idle, wander, stroll, or play" in public streets, vacant lots, public places, "places of amusement or entertainment" and other unsupervised places from an hour after sunset to 4:30 a.m., according to city code.

The same restrictions apply to minors aged 13 through 17, but their curfew lasts from midnight to 4:30 a.m. This older group of minors are allowed to be out during curfew if they are members of the military or full-time students.

Both age groups can be out during curfew if they are accompanied by a parent, guardian, or "other adult person having the care and custody of the minor" or if the minor is running an emergency errand or conducting "legitimate business" for their parent or guardian.

Any minor that violates the curfew could be charged with curfew violation, a third degree misdemeanor.

What's the punishment for violating Columbus' curfew?

Ohio's courts have a lot of leeway when it comes to sentencing juveniles, but the most severe penalties a minor could face are $150 in fines plus court costs and a 90-day stay in a detention facility, according to the Ohio Revised Code. The minor would have to pay for the costs of their stay in the detention facility.

There are also a number of lesser penalties a minor could face for violating curfew. Ohio law outlines a few of these penalties, but courts can impose almost any punishment they see fit as long as the minor is not sent to an adult jail or facility. Some examples are:

• Probation

• House arrest

• 200 hours of community service

• Alcohol and drug monitoring

• The court taking custody of the child

• A school attendance requirement

• Driver's license suspension

• A school, camp or other institution gaining temporary custody of the child

NHart@dispatch.com

@NathanRHart

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus curfew: How is it enforced and what are the penalties?