Two members of the Ku Klux Klan were arrested Thursday night and charged with having a loaded handgun in their car at a community meeting in Darlington, Harford County sheriff's officials said yesterday.
Jason R. Pioro, 22, of St. Elmo's Court in Cockeysville and John R. Kennedy, 26, of Lewis Drive in Aberdeen were charged with a handgun violation after deputies found a loaded .40-caliber handgun in a 1997 Chevrolet the two were in, the sheriff's office said.
The men, who police said acknowledged they are Klan members, attended a community meeting held by Sheriff Joseph P. Meadows at Grace Episcopal Church. The gun was seen protruding from under the front seat of the car as deputies performed a security check in the parking lot, the sheriff's office said.
The sheriff scheduled the meeting for Darlington residents in response to a Dec. 6 incident in which Klan members passed out literature on Main Street. Pioro was released on his own recognizance, and Kennedy was released on an unsecured bond of $2,500.
Pub Date: 12/13/97
