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CHICAGO (Reuters) - An Illinois state senator who is running for former U.S. Representative Jesse Jackson Jr.'s seat in Congress was arrested on Wednesday at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport after he tried to bring a handgun and bullets onto an airplane, a police spokeswoman said.
Donne Trotter was arrested at a Transportation Security Administration security checkpoint and has been charged with attempting to board an aircraft with a weapon, a Class 4 felony, a spokeswoman for the Cook County State Attorney said.
Last week, the 62-year-old Democrat said he was joining the increasingly congested field of candidates hoping to succeed Jackson, who resigned from Congress on November 21.
Jackson had been treated for bipolar disorder over the summer and is reportedly under investigation for alleged misuse of campaign funds.
Trotter's district office in Chicago did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the incident.
Trotter has served in the Illinois statehouse since 1988.
He is among several Illinois lawmakers who have fallen afoul of authorities this year. Two other Illinois state lawmakers have been indicted, and Jackson acknowledged in his resignation letter that he was under investigation by federal authorities.
(Reporting by James Kelleher; Editing by Greg McCune and Mohammad Zargham)
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