http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007708010360
"She was not handled any differently than any other person would be at the airport,"
who do they think they are kidding?
ROMULUS -- Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox could decide whether to bring charges against an Inkster judge accused of bringing a loaded gun to a Detroit Metropolitan Airport checkpoint.
Wayne Prosecutor Kym Worthy on Tuesday asked Cox for a special prosecutor to handle her case, citing a conflict because of her friendship with the judge, Sylvia James.
The chief judge of Inkster's 22nd District Court, James was stopped about 12:50 p.m. Saturday after she placed the loaded handgun in her carry-on luggage in the McNamara Terminal, according to Worthy's office. The gun was spotted during a routine baggage check.
James, who was allowed to continue on her flight to Atlanta, couldn't be reached for comment. Like some judges throughout Michigan, she has a concealed weapons permit. The gun was legally registered.
"I can't imagine her doing something deliberate. She's probably very embarrassed," said Inkster Mayor Hilliard Hampton, who has known James since the 1970s and sparred with her politically.
"She's a very proud person and very much wants to keep embarrassing situations to a minimum."
A warrant was issued for James' arrest by the Wayne County Airport Police. Worthy said her office wants to avoid the appearance of conflict because she and James are sorority sisters. The two have known each other at least since Worthy became a Wayne Circuit judge in 1997.
Worthy is asking Cox for a prosecutor, which under state law allows his office to handle the case or appoint a special attorney. Matt Frendewey, a spokesman for Cox, said his office has not received the case and can't yet say when or if charges would be filed.
James could be fined up to $7,500 by theTransportation SecurityAdministration, but it's unclear if the case would bring misdemeanor or felony charges.
In a similar case in 2003, then-Detroit Police Chief Jerry Oliver pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor gun charge for having an unlicensed handgun in his checked luggage. He paid $250 in court fees and a $300 fine. He resigned, saying he didn't want the gun issue to become a sideshow.
If James is convicted of a felony, the Michigan Judicial Tenure Commission could remove her from office.
Airport spokesman Mike Conway would not identify the woman involved in the incident, but said she was cooperative. The woman claimed she forgot she had the gun.
"She was not handled any differently than any other person would be at the airport," Conway said. "We've had a handful of these in the last couple of years. She could not have been more polite and professional as she was."
"She was not handled any differently than any other person would be at the airport,"
who do they think they are kidding?