Hillsboro man with loaded handgun arrested while testifying in court
By Bill Oram, The Oregonian
January 13, 2010, 8:01PM
Guns are mainstays in courtrooms, as any faithful Perry Mason fan can tell you. They're in the belts of deputies, they're submitted as evidence. They're usually not tucked in the waistbands of men testifying in front of the judge.
But Tuesday, Grant H. Thomas, 29, brought a loaded .45-caliber, semiautomatic handgun with him when he appeared on a traffic violation in Washington County Justice Court near Beaverton.
The weapon was discovered only because an undercover detective saw Thomas drop the gun in the parking lot and shoving it back in his waistband before running into the building.
The noncriminal traffic court has no metal detectors; in the past, the fact that the building also serves as a precinct for the sheriff's office has been sufficient security, Sheriff Rob Gordon said.
"We're really going to look at the need for some sort of screening station," Gordon said.
Around 3:30 p.m., the undercover detective alerted deputies inside the building that a man with a gun was inside, said Sheriff's Sgt. David Thompson. Deputies rushed through the building searching for the armed man.
The detective spotted Thomas in traffic court but wasn't certain it was the same man, Thompson said. He said two deputies were posted at the door to watch Thomas while the rest of the first floor was searched.
Deputies had the judge leave the courtroom after they decided Thomas was the right man. As they approached Thomas, he quickly volunteered that he had a gun and was arrested without incident, Thompson said. Thomas did not have a concealed handgun permit.
Witnesses told deputies they saw Thomas leave and then re-enter the building, Thompson said.
Why the gun? Thomas told deputies he had heard of recent shootings of police officers and thought he needed a gun for protection.
Gordon said the courtroom doesn't have metal detectors because traffic cases are less violent and elicit less emotion than those heard at the Washington County Courthouse in Hillsboro, Gordon said.
"The likelihood for someone to lose their composure is a little higher (in circuit court) than over a traffic offense," he said.
Thompson said the detective was more than 100 feet from Thomas when he dropped the gun in the parking lot. Though armed, the detective did not have all the "tools" to confront someone with a gun, Thompson said.
It is against Oregon law to enter court facilities while carrying a gun without a concealed handgun permit, and most courtrooms have signs prohibiting firearms, Thompson said. He said the detective who first spotted Thomas wouldn't have necessarily known whether he was breaking the law.
Thomas was arraigned Wednesday on one charge of possession of an explosive or firearm in court.
Deputies searched Thomas' car and found a loaded AR-10, .308-caliber rifle as well as evidence of a marijuana grow, Thompson said. The Westside Interagency Narcotics team searched his house and seized 44 marijuana plants and another handgun.
Thompson said Thomas had a valid medical marijuana card but was in violation of its conditions. Narcotics team detectives left the 24 marijuana plants that Oregon law allows Thomas to have. Drug charges against Thomas are pending, Thompson said.
Gordon said he didn't know what changes would need to be made in courtroom security, especially since Tuesday was the first such incident he knew of in justice court.
"I don't recall anything remotely similar to this," he said. "But the world's changed."
If this joker had a decent holster, instead of Mexican carrying, we never would have heard about it. Of course, it could have been the pot affecting his cognitive abilities. In Oregon, it's legal to carry concealed in a courtroom/public school/public building provided you have a CHL, which of course this guy didn't.
By Bill Oram, The Oregonian
January 13, 2010, 8:01PM
Guns are mainstays in courtrooms, as any faithful Perry Mason fan can tell you. They're in the belts of deputies, they're submitted as evidence. They're usually not tucked in the waistbands of men testifying in front of the judge.
But Tuesday, Grant H. Thomas, 29, brought a loaded .45-caliber, semiautomatic handgun with him when he appeared on a traffic violation in Washington County Justice Court near Beaverton.
The weapon was discovered only because an undercover detective saw Thomas drop the gun in the parking lot and shoving it back in his waistband before running into the building.
The noncriminal traffic court has no metal detectors; in the past, the fact that the building also serves as a precinct for the sheriff's office has been sufficient security, Sheriff Rob Gordon said.
"We're really going to look at the need for some sort of screening station," Gordon said.
Around 3:30 p.m., the undercover detective alerted deputies inside the building that a man with a gun was inside, said Sheriff's Sgt. David Thompson. Deputies rushed through the building searching for the armed man.
The detective spotted Thomas in traffic court but wasn't certain it was the same man, Thompson said. He said two deputies were posted at the door to watch Thomas while the rest of the first floor was searched.
Deputies had the judge leave the courtroom after they decided Thomas was the right man. As they approached Thomas, he quickly volunteered that he had a gun and was arrested without incident, Thompson said. Thomas did not have a concealed handgun permit.
Witnesses told deputies they saw Thomas leave and then re-enter the building, Thompson said.
Why the gun? Thomas told deputies he had heard of recent shootings of police officers and thought he needed a gun for protection.
Gordon said the courtroom doesn't have metal detectors because traffic cases are less violent and elicit less emotion than those heard at the Washington County Courthouse in Hillsboro, Gordon said.
"The likelihood for someone to lose their composure is a little higher (in circuit court) than over a traffic offense," he said.
Thompson said the detective was more than 100 feet from Thomas when he dropped the gun in the parking lot. Though armed, the detective did not have all the "tools" to confront someone with a gun, Thompson said.
It is against Oregon law to enter court facilities while carrying a gun without a concealed handgun permit, and most courtrooms have signs prohibiting firearms, Thompson said. He said the detective who first spotted Thomas wouldn't have necessarily known whether he was breaking the law.
Thomas was arraigned Wednesday on one charge of possession of an explosive or firearm in court.
Deputies searched Thomas' car and found a loaded AR-10, .308-caliber rifle as well as evidence of a marijuana grow, Thompson said. The Westside Interagency Narcotics team searched his house and seized 44 marijuana plants and another handgun.
Thompson said Thomas had a valid medical marijuana card but was in violation of its conditions. Narcotics team detectives left the 24 marijuana plants that Oregon law allows Thomas to have. Drug charges against Thomas are pending, Thompson said.
Gordon said he didn't know what changes would need to be made in courtroom security, especially since Tuesday was the first such incident he knew of in justice court.
"I don't recall anything remotely similar to this," he said. "But the world's changed."
If this joker had a decent holster, instead of Mexican carrying, we never would have heard about it. Of course, it could have been the pot affecting his cognitive abilities. In Oregon, it's legal to carry concealed in a courtroom/public school/public building provided you have a CHL, which of course this guy didn't.
