Illinois State Senator Caught Trying to Carry Gun onto Plane

He's seeking the seat vacated by Jesse Jackson Jr.

State Sen. Donne Trotter, who is seeking the congressional seat vacated by Jesse Jackson Jr., was arrested this morning at O'Hare International Airport for attempting to board a plane with an unloaded handgun and a clip with six bullets, officials said.

Trotter, a Chicago Democrat who has served in the state legislature since 1988, was charged with a Class 4 felony, according to a spokeswoman for the Cook County state's attorney's office.

A Chicago police officer responded to a call of a handgun that showed on an X-ray machine at Checkpoint No. 2 in Terminal 1 around 7 a.m., police said. When police and an agent from the Transportation Security Administration realized the bag belonged to Trotter, they escorted him to a nearby room to interview him, police said.