Feds drop charges against woman who carried gun into airport

PHILADELPHIA - Prosecutors dropped charges against a woman who was arrested after security screeners found a loaded gun in her bag at Philadelphia International Airport. <br> <br> The U.S. Attorney said Monday the gun belonged to Nancy Keller&#39;s husband and that there wasn&#39;t enough evidence to prove that she knew it was in her bag. <br> <br> Prosecutors declined to say how the gun, a .357-caliber semiautomatic, and a second high-capacity ammunition clip got into a zipper compartment in Keller&#39;s carry-on bag. <br> <br> A spokesman for U.S. Attorney Patrick Meehan, Richard Manieri, said, ``Beyond the gun being his, those questions fall under the umbrella of matters still under investigation.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> The 37-year-old Keller was making a connection in Philadelphia on a flight from Atlanta on August 25 when a screener saw the gun on an X-ray machine. She had been charged with boarding an aircraft with a concealed weapon. <br> <br> Security screeners had also noticed a suspicious image when the bag passed through an X-ray machine at Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport, but couldn&#39;t find the gun searching by hand. Authorities said the screener who missed the gun and allowed Keller to board was later fired. <br> <br> Federal Magistrate Judge Peter Scuderi ordered the charges dismissed without prejudice, meaning that prosecutors would not be barred from refiling them at some point. <br> <br> Keller had been released on $100,000 bond after the incident and allowed to travel to Columbus, Ohio, where authorities said she had recently moved from Huntersville, North Carolina.

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