Register of wills accused of taking gun into courthouse
Register of Wills James Roman is facing a misdemeanor charge for allegedly taking a gun into the Washington County Courthouse.
The Washington County Sheriff’s department filed the weapons possession charge Tuesday. According to the criminal complaint, the incident occurred about noon on Aug. 20.
The sheriff’s deputy monitoring the X-ray machine at the courthouse entrance saw a pistol in Roman’s bag, the complaint states.
Roman called the incident an accident, saying he has a concealed carry permit because he has received death threats, and usually leaves the gun in his vehicle.
Roman said when deputies discovered the gun, he took it back to his vehicle.
“I thought that was the end of it, but I made a target of myself to the powers that be,” Roman said Wednesday.
In recent months, Roman has been at odds with county officials. An audit of the register of wills conducted by county Controller Michael Namie found issues with how Roman operated the office, but there were no allegations of criminal behavior or misappropriating money.
At a commissioners’ meeting in June, Roman criticized how Namie and the commissioners have handled their jobs, and later called for their resignations.
Roman is scheduled to appear before District Judge Robert Redlinger at 2:15 p.m. Sept. 27 for a preliminary hearing on the charge.