Sidney Huddleston, III, 69, of Apple Grove, Mason County, walked into the Sidney L. Christie United States Courthouse in Huntington on April 12, 2016, armed with more than just a cane. He carried a concealed 14-inch sword blade hidden in the handle of his walking aid—right past federal security—until a vigilant officer caught the deadly deception.
Huddleston approached the security screening station claiming he was there to see his probation officer. He handed over the cane for X-ray, but it was what happened next that sealed his fate: the blade emerged when the handle was unscrewed from the shaft. The weapon, fully accessible and sharpened, violated federal law the moment it crossed the courthouse threshold.
U.S. Attorney Carol Casto confirmed today that Huddleston entered a guilty plea to attempted possession of a dangerous weapon in a federal court facility. The charge carries a maximum sentence of up to two years in federal prison. No excuses, no conspiracy—just cold admission: Huddleston told law enforcement he knew the blade was there.
The United States Marshals Service led the investigation, treating the breach as a direct threat to federal judicial integrity. Carrying a concealed weapon into a courthouse isn’t just a crime—it’s a challenge to the rule of law. Huddleston’s cane wasn’t about mobility. It was a calculated concealment device.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph F. Adams prosecuted the case with precision. The plea hearing unfolded before Chief U.S. District Judge Robert C. Chambers, who will hand down sentencing on May 1, 2017. No plea bargains erased the gravity of the act—only accountability remained.
Huddleston’s move failed fast, but the warning lingers: federal courthouses are locked down for a reason. Attempting to smuggle a sword into one isn’t clever. It’s a federal offense—and now, it’s a conviction. The gavel drops once, but the record lasts forever.
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Key Facts
- State: West Virginia
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Weapons
- Source: Official Source ↗
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