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Politics & Government

Donnelly Gets Fine, Probation on Gun Charges

Assemblyman Tim Donnelly pleads no contest for bringing a loaded weapon at an Ontario airport in January, saying it was "an innocent and honest mistake."

Sierra Madre's Assemblyman Tim Donnelly was sentenced to three years probation and a $2,215 fine for attempting to bring a loaded gun through TSA at Ontario International Airport Jan. 4.

Donnelly pleaded no contest to the two misdemeanor charges and did not appear in court.

Donnelly must turn himself in to a San Bernardino County jail by July 10 to be booked and released, according to the San Bernardino District Attorney’s Office.

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Donnelly’s attorney, Rod Pacheco, entered the plea on Donnelly’s behalf at a Superior Court in Rancho Cucamonga Monday.

According to the Press Enterprise, Donnelly released a statement regarding his sentence: “I have been forthright and acknowledged my regrettable mistake; it was an innocent and honest mistake.” 

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Donnelly’s .45-caliber Colt Mark IV pistol will be destroyed along with the ammunition. Also part of the agreement, Donnelly is prohibited from owning or possessing any firearm that is not registered to him.

Christopher Lee, spokesperson for the San Bernardino District Attorney's Office, told The Los Angeles Times he believed that the sentence was fair, and that Donnelly was "treated like another other person with these circumstances."

Donnelly claimed he forgot the loaded pistol his carryon luggage before a TSA employee discovered it.

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