Delaware State Senator Brian Pettyjohn faces a felony charge for accidentally carrying a weapon into an airport on Thursday morning, Delaware State News reports.

Pettyjohn was detained in the Salisbury Regional Airport Thursday morning when Transportation Security Administration agents found a loaded handgun in his carry-on bag. The senator said that he accidentally left the firearm in his laptop case.

ADVERTISEMENT

He was travelling to the Southern Regional Education Board conference in New Orleans, Louisiana.

The Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office announced the felony charges on Friday, which carry the potential of a 10-year jail sentence. Pettyjohn was questioned by the Sherriff’s office at the airport, and was later released without arrest.