Harrison man charged with bringing daggers into Allegheny County Courthouse
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A Harrison man was arrested when, police say, he tried to take two daggers concealed in a cane into the Allegheny County Courthouse.
Allegheny County Sheriffs charged Stephan Michael Ratulowski, 40, with two counts of prohibited offensive weapons and one count of possession of a weapon in a court facility.
According to the sheriff’s office, Ratulowski was carrying a red cane-like implement when he came in the Grant Street entrance of the courthouse at 9 a.m. Monday. Security officers noticed two sharp items inside the cane when it was run through a scanner.
Deputies dismantled the cane and found a 4-inch dagger and a 4-inch fork-type dagger hidden inside the cane, the sheriff’s office said.
When questioned by security officers, Ratulowski said he did not know the weapons were inside the cane, according to a criminal complaint.
According to court records, Ratulowski was scheduled for a formal arraignment Monday morning on a misdemeanor drug possession charge that Harrison police filed against him in May.
Ratulowski was arraigned and released on an unsecured $5,000 bond. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Sept. 12.