Gun charges dismissed against Fort Hood Staff Sergeant

Charges dismissed against Fort Hood staff sergeant
Posted: Thursday, January 10, 2013
Philip Jankowski
Herald staff writer

A Fort Hood soldier who was arrested and charged with a crime for bringing a concealed handgun into a local hospital had his charges dismissed.

Staff Sgt. Nathaniel Owen Sampson had a concealed handgun license when he brought his Springfield .45 into Metroplex Hospital’s emergency room March 30. State law prohibits concealed weapons from being brought to several places, such as convenience stores, bars and hospitals.

Through the legal wrangling that ultimately led to the dismissal of charges late Tuesday, Sampson and his attorney, Kurt Glass, maintained there was no notification on the doors of the hospital’s ER indicating weapons were prohibited when Sampson entered the hospital.

Glass said he took a picture of the doors in April and was prepared to show a blown-up photo projection of the doors at trial.

The doors have since had a sticker affixed to them indicating the illegality of bringing a weapon into the hospital, whether with a concealed handgun license or not.
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