State Employee Charged for Bringing Loaded Gun to Office

The attorney for a former state worker charged with bringing a loaded gun to the secretary of state's office says his client made an innocent mistake.

Bryan Keith Thurmond was arraigned Wednesday in Sacramento County Superior Court for possession of a weapon in a state building.

The 51-year-old was arrested after authorities found a backpack with a loaded pistol and extra magazines in the bathroom of his agency's downtown Sacramento building on Jan. 19.

Thurmond's attorney, John Holbus, says the incident was a mistake blown out of proportion. He says Thurmond had the gun to go to a firing range with his brother after work.

The secretary of state's office fired Thurmond and filed a restraining order against him.

Thurmond did not enter a plea on Wednesday.