Union County state's attorney indicted on firearms charge

Southeast Missourian

A grand jury in Union County, Ill., has indicted Union County State's Attorney Allen W. James on charges of unlawful use of a weapon and disorderly conduct.

The charges stem from a March 19 incident.

John Womick, attorney for James, said his client had been advised he could carry a gun for protection in and around the Union County Courthouse and that the case boiled down to a difference in interpretation of the statute covering unlawful use of a weapon.

Womick said Wayne County State's Attorney Kevin Kakac is interpreting the law to believe the gun could only be carried inside the courthouse, but Womick argued that the statute defined the courthouse as including the perimeter of the building.

Womick said his client is "very distressed and deeply saddened" by the indictments handed down.