Summary: A Florida attorney was discovered with a loaded gun in his backpack as he entered the courthouse to attend his Bar hearing.
Clearwater attorney James Franklin Lowy came to the Pinellas County Criminal Justice Center for his Florida Bar hearing. He brought with him a loaded .45-caliber handgun in his backpack. Lowy does not possess a concealed carry permit.
The backpack was scanned through the X-ray machine where it detected the outline of a gun. Officials searched the backpack and found the fully-loaded Ruger .45-caliber handgun. The gun had a round in the chamber and a loaded magazine.
Lowy was charged with and pleaded guilty to bringing the loaded gun to the courthouse. He was sentenced to three years’ probation. The felony charge of carrying a concealed firearm was not the only thing Lowy was charged with. Deputies claim Lowy allowed the battery of his GPS monitor to die while he was out on bail. A charge of tampering with an electronic device was added to the list. He pleaded guilty to the additional charge.
The Florida Bar filed an emergency petition to have him suspended. An auditor found Lowy was “causing great public harm based on trust account shortages in excess of $60,000.” The Bar is recommending his disbarment.
Do you think Lowy knew he had the fully loaded gun in his backpack? Tell us in the comments below.
To learn more about concealed weapons cases, read these articles:
- NY District Attorney Prohibits Prosecutors from Keeping Guns
- Philly Mother Charged with Unlawful Possession of a Weapon
- Federal Court Strikes down San Diego Requirements of Showing “Good Cause” to Get a Concealed-Carry Gun License
Photo: wikipedia.org