Walker pays fine for having gun at airport
By HENRY FARBER
Atlanta Journal-Constitution Staff Writer
http://tinyurl.com/qxkh
DeKalb County Commissioner Lou Walker paid a $300 fine and began 12 months on probation Tuesday after admitting he carried a handgun into Hartsfield International Airport.
An X-ray machine detected an unlicensed Davis .380-caliber automatic in Walker's carry-on bag Aug. 8. He told police he had forgotten the gun was there.
Walker, a former Chicago police vice detective, said a few days later that newspapers and TV stations had sensationalized the case .
However, his attorney, Chuck Driebe, said Tuesday that publicizing the story was appropriate as a deterrent "so people won't act dumb in the future."
Asked for his own comment on the case, Walker said: "God is blessing me. I'm in good shape."
Walker, 65, pleaded guilty to carrying a deadly weapon in a public place, a misdemeanor that could have gotten him one year in jail and a $1,000 fine.
Clayton Solicitor Keith Martin said Walker had never been arrested on a felony charge.
Walker represents District 7, which covers the eastern half of DeKalb County, including Doraville, Lithonia, Pine Lake and Stone Mountain.
He easily won re-election last November to a four-year term on the seven-member board.
Walker has appeared as an actor in the television series "In the Heat of the Night" and the movies "Mississippi Burning," "The Firm" and "Remember The Titans."
By HENRY FARBER
Atlanta Journal-Constitution Staff Writer
http://tinyurl.com/qxkh
DeKalb County Commissioner Lou Walker paid a $300 fine and began 12 months on probation Tuesday after admitting he carried a handgun into Hartsfield International Airport.
An X-ray machine detected an unlicensed Davis .380-caliber automatic in Walker's carry-on bag Aug. 8. He told police he had forgotten the gun was there.
Walker, a former Chicago police vice detective, said a few days later that newspapers and TV stations had sensationalized the case .
However, his attorney, Chuck Driebe, said Tuesday that publicizing the story was appropriate as a deterrent "so people won't act dumb in the future."
Asked for his own comment on the case, Walker said: "God is blessing me. I'm in good shape."
Walker, 65, pleaded guilty to carrying a deadly weapon in a public place, a misdemeanor that could have gotten him one year in jail and a $1,000 fine.
Clayton Solicitor Keith Martin said Walker had never been arrested on a felony charge.
Walker represents District 7, which covers the eastern half of DeKalb County, including Doraville, Lithonia, Pine Lake and Stone Mountain.
He easily won re-election last November to a four-year term on the seven-member board.
Walker has appeared as an actor in the television series "In the Heat of the Night" and the movies "Mississippi Burning," "The Firm" and "Remember The Titans."