KING COUNTY, Wash. -- Officials at the King County Superior Courthouse are investigating the circumstances surrounding a disturbing security breach on Tuesday.
A gun slipped through a security check point at the courthouse right under the nose of a security screener.
Officials said the screener actually saw the gun, but the gun and its owner still managed to make his way into the courthouse undetected.
Presiding judge Bruce Hilyer said inappropriate actions taken by one or more employees allowed the breach to happen. The screener did not follow procedures which require employees to stop everything when a gun is identified.
At 8:40 Tuesday morning at one of the two entrances to the courthouse, a security screener saw what she thought was a gun inside a bag on her monitor, officials said.
"Part of the delay was the screener thought someone else owned bag," said Sgt. John Urquhart. "By time she questioned the wrong person and figured that out, the bag and real person with the gun was gone into the courthouse."
By the time the sheriff's deputy, who was standing just a few feet away, was told the gun and its owner were long gone.
Even more distressing is the fact that because the screener never got a good look at the real owner, police don't have a description, Urquhart said.
"The security gave chase, wasn't able to find him," said Urquhart.
To make matters worse, Hilyer said no one informed him of the situation until three and a half hours later.
"That should not happen," he said.
Hilyer said the situation would have been handled differently if he had been informed right away.
"The only responsible thing to do is close the court operation and turn it over to law enforcment," he said.
Asked why it took so long for the staff to inform the judge, Urquhart said, "Could have been hiccup, I just don't know. Perhaps office was notified and they didn't notify him. I just don't know."
The gun was never found.
All parties involved said they're determined to get to the bottom of the issue.
Several parties indicated that the situation highlights an onging concern dealing with an unclear chain of command between the sheriff's office, the court and the facilities management team. The parties plan to meet on Friday to discuss the matter.
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