Loaded Handgun Found at Upper Marlboro Courthouse During Security Screening

A loaded handgun slipped through the front door of the Prince George's County courthouse in Upper Marlboro last Wednesday afternoon, stopped only by the X-ray machine at the building's entrance.

Around 2:30 p.m. on March 18, a security officer monitoring the screening area spotted what appeared to be a firearm inside a bag as it passed through the X-ray machine. Prince George's County Sheriff's Office deputies responded immediately, detaining the person who had placed the bag on the conveyor. When they searched it, they found a fully loaded Armi Fratelli Tanfoglio 9mm semi-automatic handgun.

The suspect, identified by authorities as Troy-Jonathan Kent, was taken into custody and transported to the Prince George's County Department of Corrections. Kent had come to the courthouse that day for an appointment with his probation officer. He is charged with possession of a concealed dangerous weapon and is being held on a $100,000 bond.

The Armi Fratelli Tanfoglio is an Italian-manufactured semi-automatic pistol, and the weapon was fully loaded at the time of discovery. Courthouse security screening, a standard feature at the Upper Marlboro facility, uses X-ray imaging to examine bags and belongings carried by everyone entering the building, including those arriving for routine appointments with court-supervised officers.

The Prince George's County Sheriff's Office confirmed the arrest in a release, though the agency did not initially identify Kent by name in that release. His identity was later reported by local television outlets covering the incident.