George HunterThe Detroit News
The Smith & Wesson .380 pistol a Wayne County Juvenile Court judge had in her purse going through security at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport was not registered, according to a police report of the incident — the latest episode involving a public official bringing a gun to the Romulus airport.
Third Circuit Court Judge Cylenthia LaToye Miller was about to board a Delta Airlines flight to New York's LaGuardia Airport at about 9:18 a.m. on June 8, when a U.S. Transportation Security Administration agent spotted the pistol on the x-ray machine's monitor, according to a report by the Wayne County Airport Authority Police Department that was obtained by The Detroit News through a public records request.
"(A TSA agent whose name was redacted) checked Ms. Miller's purse and found a Smith & Wesson, M&P Bodyguard 380," said the report that was written by an airport police officer. "I cleared the weapon to make it safe. There was a round of ammunition chambered. The firearm was not artfully concealed. I located Ms. Miller's credentials, ID, driver license and (an item that was redacted).
"Ms. Miller told me she had not registered the firearm at this time," the report said. "Ms. Miller told me her brother lived and purchased the firearm in (a redacted location).
"Ms. Miller was told she was under arrest for bringing a loaded firearm through an Airport Security Checkpoint," the report said. " ... TSA conducted their additional screening. Upon Ms. Miller completing TSA screening, (an airport police corporal) escorted her to (another area of the airport)."
Miller was issued a misdemeanor ordinance violation for "dangerous weapons" and ordered to contact Romulus's 34th District Court within 14 days.
"I told Ms. Miller the weapon would be held as evidence until court proceedings concluded," the airport police report said. "Ms. Miller was advised she would need to provide documentation the weapon was hers. I advised Ms. Miller of the court information, and I released her on scene."
Miller's attorney Todd Perkins said the gun belonged to a close friend.
"It's not really her brother; they've known each other for years, so they're like family," Perkins said.
Michigan is one of only five states that requires gun registration — and the only state to mandate pistols be registered.
"For some reason, Michigan has an old law that requires people to register their guns," said Terry L. Johnson, a Southfield attorney and firearms advocate. "I've been working on trying to get that repealed, because it's unconstitutional."
The Michigan Aeronautics Code of 1945 laws bans carrying firearms at airports, as does a Metro Airport ordinance. Both offenses are misdemeanors punishable by up to a year in jail or a $1,000 fine, or both.
The TSA can levy additional fines for carrying guns into airports, TSA spokesperson Jessica Mayle said. As of Tuesday, Mayle said TSA agents had intercepted 27 firearms at Metro Airport in 2024, while more than 1,500 guns were seized at airports nationwide during this year's first quarter.
"The penalty for bringing a firearm to the checkpoint can reach as high as $14,950, depending on the circ*mstances," Mayle said in an email. " TSA determines the penalty amount for a violation based on the circ*mstances in each case."
The non-monetary consequences have also varied after public officials have been cited for bringing guns into Metro Airport through the years
Former Detroit Police Chief Jerry Oliver resigned in 2003 after he brought an unregistered .25 caliber pistol into Metro Airport as he was on his way to a police chief's conference in Philadelphia. Former Wayne County Prosecutor Mike Duggan, now Detroit's mayor, charged Oliver with possessing an unlicensed handgun, a misdemeanor. Oliver pleaded no contest to the charge and paid a $250 fine. The former chief also was fined $300 by the TSA.
In 2007, Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy recused herself after Sylvia James, former chief judge of Inkster's 22nd District Court, was stopped with a loaded, unregistered gun in her carry-on bag. Worthy said she and James were sorority sisters who had a personal relationship. Washtenaw County prosecutors took the case and decided not to charge James, because they said investigators were unable to prove she had intentionally brought the firearm to the airport.
Former Michigan Court of Appeals Judge Henry Saad pleaded guilty to bringing a gun into Metro Airport in 2016 and was fined $750, although the court proceedings were held in private while reporters waited in a 34th District Court courtroom where the proceedings had been scheduled to be held. Wayne County prosecutors objected to the move, telling court officials the hearing should have been held in public.
According to TSA guidelines, passengers are allowed to bring legal firearms in their checked bags if they are unloaded, packed separately from ammunition in a locked hard case, and declared at the airline check-in counter.
ghunter@detroitnews.com
(313) 222-2134
@GeorgeHunter_DN
