An 82-year-old Whitefield woman was charged with carrying a concealed weapon without a permit, after a loaded handgun was found in her pocket as she entered the Edmund S. Muskie Federal Building on Western Avenue in Augusta on Jan. 5.
Imelda Yorkus, who was good-natured about the fiasco, said she carries the gun when she’s at home and just forgot she had it when she went out that day.
“When I’m showered and dressed I put the gun in my pocket. When I go out, I switch – I take the gun out and put my cell phone in,” Yokus said. “I was in such a hurry that day, it just slipped my mind. Which made the whole thing worse, because I couldn’t call my friend.”
Yorkus entered the Federal Building at around 1:30 p.m. on her way to the IRS office. When she got to the metal detector, the guard told her she didn’t need to go through, because she uses a walker.
“And as soon as I walked up to him, I remembered the gun, and said, “I’m illegal!'” Yorkus said. The guard asked her what she meant and she told him she had a gun.
By Yorkus’s telling, the guard apparently didn’t believe her, and when the metal detector wand went off over her pocket, he was surprised.
“I said, ‘I told you, I have a gun,'” Yorkus said. After the gun had been removed, the guard went over her again and the wand went off over the same pocket.
“At first, I couldn’t think of why it would do that, all that was in there was some cough drops,” Yorkus said. “Sure enough, the cough drops were foil wrapped.”
This was probably closer to what the guard was expecting when Yorkus walked in.
Yorkus cooperated with police and said that everyone involved was very polite and helpful. Since her story has appeared in the media, several people have approached her offering their help, she said.
“It just goes to show you how many people are kind and helpful and understanding,” Yorkus said.
According to Augusta Police Sgt. Christopher Massey, Imelda M. Yorkus was issued a summons at the scene charging her with carrying a concealed weapon without a permit.
Immediately after the incident, Yorkus took care of her business at the IRS office and then went to state police headquarters and applied for a concealed weapons permit, though she doesn’t expect she’ll need it. She only carries the gun when she’s at home, she said.
Yorkus said she’s been shooting the .38 Colt Cobra for about 50 years. It was a birthday present from her late husband, who taught her to shoot. She’s carried it regularly since her husband died two years ago.
“They said I’d get it back, but when they took my gun I said, ‘Great. Now I better carry an ice pick.”
Yorkus will be taking a handgun safety course as part of her application for a concealed weapons permit. She’s looking for anyone interested in taking the class with her.
Interested parties should call Sam at The Lincoln County News at 563-3171.
