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Man pleads guilty to carrying loaded gun in bag at TIA

Times Staff Writer
Published June 16, 2004

TAMPA - A Land O' Lakes man pleaded guilty in federal court Monday to trying to carry a loaded weapon onto a plane in his carry-on bag at Tampa International Airport.

According to officials, airport screeners found a .38-caliber pistol inside Johnny Lee Collins' carry-on bag as he prepared to board a Delta Airlines flight Aug. 19, 2003. Collins, 54, was heading to Salt Lake City.

The charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, a fine of $250,000 and a term of supervised release of not more than three years. No sentencing date has been set.

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