Cleaning employee charged with bringing gun into Pittsburgh Municipal Courts Building
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- A cleaning employee is facing charges after he allegedly brought his gun into the Pittsburgh Municipal Courts Building.
According to the criminal complaint, a lieutenant with the Allegheny County Sheriff's Office was in the arraignment courtroom when he saw Dearron Peoples Jr. walking across the judge's bench area and leaning over to use the phone. The lieutenant said he noticed what looked like a gun on Peoples' right hip beneath his jacket.
The lieutenant asked Peoples if he had a gun and Peoples said no, though he did own one and has a license to carry. The lieutenant told him that was fine and if he ever brought it to work, he could lock it up in the office.
As Peoples walked away, court paperwork said the lieutenant clearly saw the outline of a pistol handle through his jacket.
The lieutenant followed Peoples and found him in the janitor's closet. The pistol was no longer on Peoples' hip and instead was sitting in an open box, the criminal complaint said.
The firearm was registered to Peoples, who does have a valid license to carry, according to court paperwork. He told the lieutenant that security doesn't check him and his boss said they can come right through. The lieutenant said the security guards said they didn't check Peoples, but he never said he had a gun. There's "clear signage" at the front of the building saying "NO FIREARMS PERMITTED," the lieutenant said.
Peoples was charged with possessing a firearm in a court facility.
The sheriff's office said Peoples and the two security guards are private contractors and not Allegheny County employees.
