TOPEKA (AP) — The Shawnee County Sheriff’s Department is investigating after District Attorney Chad Taylor carried a gun into the county courthouse last month.
A new state law allows prosecutors to carry concealed weapons into court buildings and courtrooms if county officials allow it.
But Shawnee County commissioners in May rejected a request from Taylor to allow county prosecutors to carry guns into the courthouse.
District attorney spokesman Dakota Loomis says Taylor accidentally brought the firearm into the courthouse after switching vehicles with his wife the previous day.
Sheriff Dick Barta says deputies stopped Taylor at the employee entrance. Initial reports say the Smith & Wesson semiautomatic 9 mm was in one of several boxes Taylor was carrying that contained personal items and court documents.
USNretired (anonymous) says...
If you can't trust an officer of the court, who do you trust to carry? A questionable decision on his part as his job is the enforcement team.
January 4, 2010 at 4:13 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
biscuitboy (anonymous) says...
I agree FarmRaised. If I ever realized I didn't know where my gun was I would run.....not walk.....to the authorities to report it missing.
January 4, 2010 at 5:56 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
madpoet (anonymous) says...
Sounds like a pretty thin excuse to me. I would think a lawyer could come up with something better than that. :)
I can understand why a DA would want to carry a gun to protect himself but he has to follow the law like the rest of us.
January 5, 2010 at 8:27 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )