ROMULUS, Mich. (WXYZ) — A Wayne County judge is facing legal trouble after carrying a loaded firearm through Detroit Metro Airport last week.
The gun, according to the judge's attorney, may not have been registered.
Judge Cylenthia LaToye Miller has been a judge in Detroit since 2006. She spent thirteen years on the bench at 36th District Court, and the last five at Third Circuit Court where she presides over the family court.
On Saturday, while she was on her way to catching a flight, Miller passed through security at Detroit Metro Airport.
It was then that TSA agents found a loaded .380 caliber Smith and Wesson firearm inside the judge’s purse.
“She’s a licensed CPL holder,” said Todd Perkins, Miller’s lawyer and a longtime friend. “She can lawfully possess, in a concealed fashion, a firearm in the state of Michigan.”
But the law prohibits you from carrying a loaded firearm in your carry-on.
Sources tell 7 News Detroit that Miller told airport police that the gun had belonged to her brother, who lives in Ohio. Ohio does not require that firearms be registered.
But Michigan does, and Perkins admits he doesn’t know if the gun the judge was carrying was registered at the time it was discovered.
Perkins says Judge Miller has been going through a difficult time in her personal life recently, spending time caring for a close loved-one who’s facing health challenges. Perkins said that her mind may have been elsewhere on the day in question.
“What impressions she was under when this all took place, only that day will tell,” Perkins said.
“But it’s not like she’s an average citizen,” said Channel 7’s Ross Jones. “She’s a judge.”
“She’s not looking for any credit for being a judge, she’s definitely not doing that,” Perkins said. “She holds herself accountable and will hold herself accountable, and would anyone else.”
“And a judge, you would expect, would know the law in the state of Michigan,” Jones replied.
“Absolutely, absolutely,” Perkins said. “And we’re not running from that.”
Perkins says the judge is facing the charge of carrying a dangerous weapon in an airport—a misdemeanor offense that carries up to one year in jail and a $1,000 fine.
Matthew Zick, a city attorney for Romulus, referred questions about the prosecution to the Wayne County Airport Authority.
Erica Donerson, an airport spokeswoman, did not answer questions about Miller's pending case.
Judge Miller did not respond to calls or text messages seeking comment.
Contact 7 Investigator Ross Jones at ross.jones@wxyz.com or at (248) 827-9466.