Live ammunition confiscated from teenager’s purse

Knives, scissors and razors are items regularly confiscated by sheriff’s officers from people going through security screening at provincial court in St. John’s.

Friday morning, officers discovered something more bizarre in the purse of a teenager headed into court at Atlantic Place: a live full metal jacket round.

Sources say it was a 7.62 x 39 mm cartridge, commonly used for target practice but illegal for hunting.

The 19-year-old had been on her way into the courtroom to appear before a judge on three charges of theft under $5,000 when the ammunition was discovered.

Sheriff’s officers contacted the police, who came to court to speak to the woman and confiscate the cartridge. The woman reportedly told officers a family member had given her the round on New Year’s Eve.

RNC spokesman Const. Geoff Higdon said the police investigation has been concluded. The teenager was given a warning, but no charges were laid.

Anyone entering provincial court or Newfoundland and Labrador Supreme Court in St. John’s must submit to security measures similar to those at an airport. Visitors are required to walk through a metal detector and can be searched by sheriff’s officers with hand-held metal-detecting wands if necessary, while all baggage items must pass through an X-ray machine. It’s a relatively new process, first implemented at Atlantic Place in late 2012 before being extended to all three courts.

Sheriff’s officers have confiscated many items since then, including steak knives, bear knives, marijuana and open liquor.