Weapons, Guns, Firearms Weapon at airport screening area....

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downbyfive

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So, about a month and a half ago, I put a knife in my backpack when I went hiking...totally normal right? Well, this weekend, I rushed off to the airport with that same backpack, totally forgetting the knife was in there. Well, when I went through screening at the airport, they found the knife, and the airport police cited me with bringing a weapon into a sterile area (Washington code RCW 9.41.300), which is a gross misdemeanor. They didn't arrest me or anything, and they let me get on the plane after they wrote me up. I got my court date set today, but I'm wondering what to expect from all this. I've never had so much as a speeding ticket, and even the police commented that I was very cooperative and that they were basically only citing me because they were required to. If I plead guilty (I mean, I did technically break the law), what is the judge and/or prosecutor likely to do?
 
They do provide lawyers for cases like these, right? If you have a lawyer, you should of course consult him or her first before pleading guilty, and get his thoughts about sentencing. If you aren't provided by a lawyer, you should probably think about consulting one. Anyway, the penalty for a gross misdemeanor (in Washington anyway) is up to one year in jail and/or a fine of up to $5,000. Given that it was an accident and you cooperated, I'd say the prosecutor and judge would probably not go for jail time, but you might receive a hefty fine. With that in mind, you definitely need to consult an attorney, so that he or she can become familiar with all the elements of your specific case, and can prepare arguments for sentencing (unless they can find a loophole, you seem unfortunately guilty). I'm not a lawyer, so I wouldn't know what exactly to expect, but I least you know what sort of ballpark you're working in.
 
Good for you, I'm sure you must be pleased. It's good that our judicial process can be fair and lenient from time to time. The prosecutor must have been very reasonable, I guess, but then again the merits of your case was pretty obvious. Congragulations!
 
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