His Memory Was About 9mm Short

Drug dealers, gang members and even murderers have filed uneventfully through the metal detectors at Orange County’s main courthouse in Santa Ana for years. Now a former congressional candidate has become the first person arrested for bringing a loaded weapon into the building.

Johnnie Robert Crean, who lost a 1982 bid to represent parts of Orange and San Diego counties in Congress, was arrested Tuesday when sheriff’s officials discovered a handgun in a bag he was carrying.

“It was a senior moment,� Crean, 52, said Wednesday. He said he’d forgotten he’d put the weapon in his bag last week.

An Orange County sheriff’s spokesman said an officer operating the X-ray machine at the building’s entrance noticed what looked like a gun in a black canvas bag Crean had placed on the machine.

Crean, son of a travel-trailer industry tycoon, said he was at the courthouse for a hearing on a dispute about equipment he had leased and suddenly recalled the firearm while watching the officer.

“He had a really funny look on his face. And I said, ‘Oh, I think I need to take my bag back to my car,’� Crean said. Crean granted the officer permission to search the bag, and he found a fully loaded 9mm Glock handgun, sheriff’s spokesman Jim Amormino said.

Crean was arrested on suspicion of possessing a weapon in a public building. He posted $10,000 bail.