WASHINGTON D.C. -- U.S. Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-Ind. District 5) has officially been charged in Virginia after she reportedly brought a gun to an airport in the Washington D.C. area.
According to documents filed on Thursday in the Loudoun General District Court, Spartz has been charged with carrying a weapon in an airport terminal, a Class 1 Misdemeanor, in relation to an incident at the Dulles International Airport in late June.
Spartz, who is the Republican nominee for the District 5 seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in November, was reportedly found with a .380 caliber firearm in her carry-on bag by TSA agents at the airport on June 28. Under a portion of the state's gun laws code, it is illegal to carry a gun or a weapon inside an airport terminal.
In a statement from Spartz's team in early July, officials said that she "accidentally carried an empty handgun in her suitcase" while going through security at the airport. The team said that she was "issued a citation" and went on her flight.
Previously stating she would not run for reelection in 2024, Spartz announced in February her reelection campaign. Spartz received more than 39% of the vote in May's Republican primary and is expected to face Deborah Pickett, the winner of the Democratic primary for the fifth district seat, in November's general election.
According to court documents, an arraignment hearing for Spartz is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. on Sept. 20 in Loudoun General District Court. A Class 1 Misdemeanor is punishable by up to a year in jail and a $2,500 fine.