Wayne County judge who brought unregistered, loaded gun to DTW faces new charge

ROMULUS, Mich. (WXYZ) — A Wayne County judge who conducted a security check at Detroit Metro Airport in June with a loaded firearm could face new charges because the weapon was not registered.

As first reported by 7 News Detroit in June, Judge Cylenthia Miller brought a Smith & Wesson .380-caliber firearm with her on her way to the airport in New York.

VIDEO: Watch the original report on the Wayne County judge below:

Wayne County Judge Found With Loaded Gun At Detroit Metro Airport Now Charged

According to the police report, the weapon was “not carefully concealed” and “had a round in the chamber.”

A judge told police the gun was not registered. Her attorney, Todd Perkins, said Miller has a valid concealed weapons permit.

“I don’t think it’s something to be ashamed of,” Perkins said Monday. “It’s a mistake that happened. It’s not even an error in judgment.”

According to a police report, Judge told a Wayne County Airport Authority police officer that she received the gun “from her brother,” who she said lived in Ohio.

But her attorney now admits that’s not true. Although Miller has known the man who gave her the gun for most of her life, Perkins says he’s not her relative.

“Why would she tell a cop something she knew wasn’t true?” asks Ross Jones of the 7th District.

“We’re all playing quarterback on Monday morning with what was going through her head,” Perkins said, adding: “She’s a human being, she’s a woman dealing with very serious issues in her family, rushing to the airport.”

Although Judge Miller admitted, according to police, that her gun was not registered, she was not charged because of it. Instead, she now faces a misdemeanor charge of “checkpoint violation,” according to 34^t District Court in Romulus.

But after 7 News first reported on the judge’s legal issues last month, airport police issued a second search warrant on June 20 due to the unregistered gun.

It’s unclear how serious the charge under investigation is. The judge’s attorney says Miller faces a civil infraction, but the Wayne County prosecutor says police are pursuing a different offense.

Whatever the reason, neither Perkins nor the airport could explain why the fee was not sought from the outset.

“It may be that you and the media people brought them to justice, and whether this is the result of that,” Perkins said. “I don’t know.”

The Wayne County District Attorney’s Office, which received the latest application for the order, said it had assigned the case to another prosecutor, citing a conflict of interest.

Contact Detective Ross Jones at [email protected] or (248) 827-9466.