TN Nurse Arrested on Gun Charges at 9/11 Memorial Takes No-Jail Plea Deal

The Tennessee woman facing felony gun charges for accidentally bringing her pistol to the 9/11 memorial won't' spend a day in prison.

The New York Post reports that Meredith Graves has accepted a plea deal that drops the charge from a felony to a misdemeanor and has no jail time attached.

The Blaze told you the story of Graves this past December.  A 39-year-old, registered nurse and fourth year medical student,  Graves was visiting the 9/11 memorial at the World Trade Center site on Dec. 22 when she decided to check in the handgun she accidentally packed in her purse.

When Graves asked where she could check her pistol, she was immediately arrested for felony gun possession. The charge in New York City carries a mandatory 3 1/2 year prison sentence.

Graves has always maintained she didn’t realize that the loaded .32-caliber pistol in her purse was illegal to have, as she is legally licensed to carry in Tennessee. It appears prosecutors believed it was an honest mistake, and decided to exercise their discretion in offering a deal with considerably lesser charges attached.

Graves lawyer, Daniel Horwitz said packing the gun was “completely inadvertent, she lives a very hectic life” as a doctor in training, “working nights and then mornings. Somehow, the bag got packed, and the gun was in there.”

Still, Graves now has a misdemeanor weapons charge on her record. Horwitz expressed his hope that medical licensing boards will exercise good judgment and give Graves the right to practice medicine despite the guilty plea on her record.

“She’s happy that this ordeal is over, and she’s looking forward to getting on with her life and her career as a doctor,” Horwitz said, adding that Graves graduates in May from a Knoxville-based medical school."

Graves is not the only visitor to the Big Apple from out of state who has been jammed up on accidental gun possession charges. Ryan Jerome, a former Marine and jewelry dealer, got busted with a handgun at the Empire State Building this past September. He was under the impression he could legally carry in New York, but authorities let him know he was wrong by slapping handcuffs on him.

Jerome also faces felony gun possession charges, but so far has refused the same plea deal offered to Graves. He wants the charges dropped, and has had a lot of support from fellow Marines and gun rights advocates across the country.

Jerome is due back in court in Manhattan today. The Blaze will report on any developments.