Armed courthouse-goer: It was an accident

The woman accused of trying to bring a loaded gun into the Spokane County Courthouse said she never meant to harm anyone and simply forgot she had the weapon with her.

“I would never purposely take a weapon into a courthouse,” said Stacey L. Atkins, 22. “That would just be dumb.”

Atkins was cited for two misdemeanors Thursday and released after security found the Bersa .380-caliber semi-automatic pistol in her purse as it passed through the X-ray machine on the north side of the courthouse.

“The lady up there was like ‘what is that?’” Atkins said. “As soon as she said that, I knew I left my gun in there..I wasn’t planning on doing harm.”

Atkins said she was at the courthouse to get a restraining order. The gun’s magazine was loaded, but there was no bullet in the chamber, according to the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office.

Weapons are prohibited inside the courthouse.