A lobbyist carried a loaded handgun into the Cannon House Office Building Friday, as the U.S. House was completing its final day of work before the summer recess, according to court records.
Kimberly Barber, 34, is charged with possession of an unregistered firearm.
According to court records, U.S. Capitol Police found the loaded gun inside a suitcase Barber checked at a security checkpoint at the northeast door of the building just after 12 p.m. Friday, a busy day for Congress.
Barber works the Navajo Nation’s Washington, D.C., office, court filings said. She told investigators she was carrying a gun belonging to a senior police officer with the Navajo Nation Police Department, according to court records. She told police she was not notified there was a firearm in the suitcase she was checking.
A review of U.S. Capitol Police reports by the News4 I-Team show this was at least the 14th firearms arrest on US Capitol Grounds since January 2015.
Requests for comment from the Navajo Nation were not immediately returned.
D.C.’s Office of the Attorney General is prosecuting the case. Barber pleaded not guilty in court Wednesday.
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"Ms. Barber has been a dedicated employee of the Navajo Nation Washington Office since 2014," a Navajo Nation attorney representing Barber said in a statement to News4. "She has pled not guilty to the misdemeanor charge today. Both Ms. Barber and the Navajo Nation will continue to fully cooperate with the Capitol Police and the District of Columbia to ensure this unfortunate incident comes to a quick and just conclusion"
