House leader pays fine to close case of gun at airport

PELLSTON, Mich. (AP) - The leader of the Michigan House says he paid a fine of about $2,000 for possessing a loaded handgun at a northern Michigan airport last summer.

House Speaker Lee Chatfield of Emmet County says he got a 50 percent discount last week under a federal policy that gives a break to people if they pay within 30 days.

Chatfield had a gun in a bag that also contained a laptop computer. He says he forgot about the gun when he was at Pellston Regional Airport last July. He says he earlier paid a $250 fine because the gun wasn’t registered.

Chatfield, a Republican, tells The Detroit News it was an “expensive mistake.”

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Information from: The Detroit News, http://detnews.com/