Two charged in airport gun arrests

By Brandon Masuoka
Advertiser Staff Writer

A couple from Maui face firearms charges after their arrest Saturday night when they allegedly tried to carry an unloaded gun onto a plane at Honolulu International Airport.

Roger Sears, 23, and his wife Althea Sears, 25, both from Lahaina, were charged last night with illegal firearm possession. Bail was set at $11,000 each.

They tried to take an undeclared and unloaded .25-caliber automatic pistol in a carry-on bag through security at the overseas terminal, authorities said.

State Department of Transportation spokeswoman Marilyn Kali said the weapon was discovered in the bag at 7:45 p.m. The travelers were trying to board a Continental airliner to the Mainland.

Airline security coordinator Joe Guyton said signs have been clearly posted warning people not to carry firearms onto planes. He credited an X-ray operator with catching the violation when the carry-on bag was scanned.

"This wasn't a fluke," Guyton said. "This is something we look for every day. This means our security system is working."

Roger and Althea Sears were being held at the Honolulu Police Department main cellblock last night, according to the receiving desk.

Reach Brandon Masuoka at 535-8110 or at bmasuoka@honoluluadvertiser.com.

Corrections: An earlier version of this story listed the two people charged as brother and sister and also referred to the pistol detected by security officials as a 25mm weapon.