A southeast Iowa man is facing a felony charge after a toddler found an unsecured handgun in an unattended vehicle and discharged it, injuring themself.
Steele Jacobsmeier, 22, of New London has been charged with Child Endangerment — Bodily Injury, a Class D Felony.
According to court documents, the incident occurred on August 24th, 2026 at approximately 6:20 p.m. at a residence in New London. Jacobsmeier placed two young children — an approximately 2-year-old and an approximately 1-year-old — unattended and unrestrained in the front seat of a vehicle while another adult was inside the residence and Jacobsmeier was in the garage.
While the children were playing inside the vehicle, the 2-year-old discharged a 9 millimeter handgun that was accessible in an open compartment on the bottom driver side of the center console. The firearm recoiled back toward the child upon discharge, splitting their lip open and causing it to bleed. A bullet fragment was found protruding through the top of the driver’s side dashboard.
Jacobsmeier has since posted a $5,000 cash only bond and waived his preliminary hearing.
