A routine security check at the Mecklenburg County courthouse in Uptown Charlotte turned into a criminal case on Jan. 29, when deputies say they found a handgun tucked inside the purse of 35-year-old Dominique Palmatier.
According to court staff, the weapon was identified as a Ruger .22. Deputies said the gun was not listed as stolen, although its serial number did not match any existing records. A sheriff’s deputy charged Palmatier with violating North Carolina’s ban on weapons in courthouses and with carrying a concealed firearm without a permit.
Charlotte Alerts News reports that a security guard spotted the handgun on an X-ray monitor while screening Palmatier’s bag, then seized the purse and called in a sheriff’s deputy. Booking information from WCCB shows Palmatier was booked on Jan. 29, 2026, on charges of “weapon on state property” and “carrying concealed weapon.”
What the law says
North Carolina law makes it illegal to bring a deadly weapon into any building that houses a court. Under G.S. 14-269.4, having a weapon “in any building housing any court of the General Court of Justice” is a Class 1 misdemeanor…