HankT
State Researcher
imported post
Poor woman made a big mistake. I wonder what the charge would have been with different demographics.
Too bad she doesn't work for Jim Webb...
Sears Tower tourist caught with handgun
Tennessee woman thought pistol in purse legal, cops say
By Alexa Aguilar
July 6, 2007
A tourist from Tennessee was arrested at the Sears Tower on Thursday morning after she tried to visit the Skydeck with a loaded gun in her purse, police said.
Stephanie Warren, 56, of Memphis was waiting to see the Chicago skyline from the top of Chicago's tallest attraction when she placed her bag on the belt of the security machine, police said.
Inside the purse was a loaded .38-caliber revolver, police said.
Warren, whom a neighbor described as "responsible pillar of the community," is licensed to carry the gun in Tennessee, which allows its citizens to have concealed weapons.
"It didn't dawn on her that our state did not have the same gun laws as hers did," said police spokeswoman Monique Bond.
In Illinois, carrying a loaded weapon is against state law; Chicago also has an ordinance prohibiting it.
Police pulled her from the line of tourists waiting to go through the ground-floor metal detectors and later took her into custody, where she remained for most of the day. Her companion watched as the police car carrying Warren inside pulled away.
"There was no intent," he repeated to a police officer, then wondered aloud what he was going to do alone all day. The two had driven from Tennessee and are staying at a hotel in Michigan, Bond said.
No visitors were in any danger, and there was no interruption for the dozens of tourists awaiting the elevator ride to the Skydeck, Bond said. Police recommended that Warren be charged with a felony for unlawful use of a weapon, she said.
"We would like people to recognize how serious this is. ... We take our gun laws very seriously," Bond said.
Prosecutors instead decided to file misdemeanor charges, said John Gorman, spokesman for the Cook County state's attorney's office.
Warren has no criminal history and had no intent to harm anyone, he said.
Rodney Ware, who lives next to Warren in Memphis, described her as a great neighbor who volunteers in her community. Ware said he works in the security-conscious airline industry, so he understands that travelers must be aware of different state laws. But he was concerned about his neighbor's trouble so far from Memphis, he said.
"Stephanie just needs to get home," he said.
About 1.3 million tourists visit the Sears Tower annually. As one of the city's most notable landmarks, security at the building has increased substantially since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
A spokesman for the building management did not return a call seeking comment.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-searsjul06,1,597937.story?coll=chi-news-hed&ctrack=1&cset=true
Poor woman made a big mistake. I wonder what the charge would have been with different demographics.
Too bad she doesn't work for Jim Webb...
Sears Tower tourist caught with handgun
Tennessee woman thought pistol in purse legal, cops say
By Alexa Aguilar
July 6, 2007
A tourist from Tennessee was arrested at the Sears Tower on Thursday morning after she tried to visit the Skydeck with a loaded gun in her purse, police said.
Stephanie Warren, 56, of Memphis was waiting to see the Chicago skyline from the top of Chicago's tallest attraction when she placed her bag on the belt of the security machine, police said.
Inside the purse was a loaded .38-caliber revolver, police said.
Warren, whom a neighbor described as "responsible pillar of the community," is licensed to carry the gun in Tennessee, which allows its citizens to have concealed weapons.
"It didn't dawn on her that our state did not have the same gun laws as hers did," said police spokeswoman Monique Bond.
In Illinois, carrying a loaded weapon is against state law; Chicago also has an ordinance prohibiting it.
Police pulled her from the line of tourists waiting to go through the ground-floor metal detectors and later took her into custody, where she remained for most of the day. Her companion watched as the police car carrying Warren inside pulled away.
"There was no intent," he repeated to a police officer, then wondered aloud what he was going to do alone all day. The two had driven from Tennessee and are staying at a hotel in Michigan, Bond said.
No visitors were in any danger, and there was no interruption for the dozens of tourists awaiting the elevator ride to the Skydeck, Bond said. Police recommended that Warren be charged with a felony for unlawful use of a weapon, she said.
"We would like people to recognize how serious this is. ... We take our gun laws very seriously," Bond said.
Prosecutors instead decided to file misdemeanor charges, said John Gorman, spokesman for the Cook County state's attorney's office.
Warren has no criminal history and had no intent to harm anyone, he said.
Rodney Ware, who lives next to Warren in Memphis, described her as a great neighbor who volunteers in her community. Ware said he works in the security-conscious airline industry, so he understands that travelers must be aware of different state laws. But he was concerned about his neighbor's trouble so far from Memphis, he said.
"Stephanie just needs to get home," he said.
About 1.3 million tourists visit the Sears Tower annually. As one of the city's most notable landmarks, security at the building has increased substantially since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
A spokesman for the building management did not return a call seeking comment.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-searsjul06,1,597937.story?coll=chi-news-hed&ctrack=1&cset=true