Some more details have emerged from the arrest of 62-year old Richard Terry Young, who was found with a gun concealed in his pickup truck near the site of President Obama’s visit yesterday to Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
The Portsmouth Herald reports that Young, who was arrested several hours before Obama arrived, was initially detained for sneaking past the security perimeter. A search of his car found a .380 Kel Tec semi-automatic, hidden in a bag and with a round in the chamber. He was arrested on a charge of having a concealed weapon without a license.
That particular model of gun can be easily concealed, said arresting Officer Detective Lt. Corey MacDonald. “It can fit in the palm of my hand,” said MacDonald, who added that the situation of the arrest “would have been very different if it was on his person.”
It should be noted that under New Hampshire’s laws, a person can of course transport a weapon in their car, but in this case the apparent crime was in it being hidden in the car — as opposed to being in plain view on the seat — and also being loaded.
The Herald reached an unidentified man at Young’s home, who said that Young “intended no harm,” and that “he’s just somebody who was forgetful and he made a big mistake.”
Late Update: I just spoke with Detective Lt. MacDonald. Young was released on a personal recognizance bond of $30,000 — meaning that he does not have to pay any money up front beyond the $40 bail commissioner’s fee, but if he were to skip bail he would then be liable for the full amount. He has been charged with two misdemeanors by Portsmouth, relating to trespass in a secure area and the unlicensed concealed weapon, with no word yet on whether the Secret Service will pursue any federal charges.
MacDonald did not view the matter as a clear and present danger.
“I would say I’m not allowed to comment on anything that he did or did not tell us, or whether or not he made a statement,” said MacDonald. “But I can tell you that if I believed he had the intention right now of being a danger to either himself or somebody else, I would have recommended a high cash bail as opposed to a personal recognizance bail.”
