MIAMI - A Georgia auto mechanic pleaded innocent Monday to carrying a loaded handgun through airport security on a planned trip to visit relatives in Haiti. <br>
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Thirty-three-year-old Riguens Andre of Jonesboro, Georgia, was released on $50,000 bod on the condition that he stay away from guns and airports. <br>
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Andre, a Haitian national and legal U.S. resident, was stopped by a security screener who spotted the outline of a loaded .38-caliber handgun hidden inside a DVD player at Miami International Airport on November 16. Fifty bullets also were concealed. <br>
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Prosecutors pushed for a higher bond because of the ``danger inherent'' in a weapon in carryon baggage, but Assistant U.S. Attorney Gerald Greenberg conceded there was no issue of terrorism or air piracy. <br>
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Assistant U.S. Public Defender Joaquin Mendez insisted Andre wanted the gun for security in a country known for its current state of turmoil. <br>
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Mendez said the gun was wrapped in foil and duct tape, and Andre had no screwdriver or penknife to open the DVD player in flight. <br>
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Mendez said, ``It was a grossly stupid mistake. This weapon was not accessible. It was within his reach but hardly within his grasp.'' <br>
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U.S. Magistrate Judge John O'Sullivan said Andre's action ``just reeks of foolishness'' in the wake of the terrorist attacks last year. <br>
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But he set lower bond than prosecutors sought after Mendez noted Andre's likely sentence ranges from probation to six months in prison if he were convicted of attempting to carry a concealed weapon onto a plane.
