LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — An attorney accused of trying to take a dagger into the Lancaster County Courthouse has been acquitted.

William O’Brien was found not guilty after a nonjury trial last week in front of Lancaster County Judge Mary Doyle.

O’Brien, of Omaha, had been charged with a misdemeanor of possessing a dangerous weapon in a city or county facility.

The dagger was found Feb. 8 as security officers passed O’Brien’s briefcase through a courthouse X-ray machine.

The 51-year-old told officers the dagger belonged to his son and that he had forgotten it was in his briefcase.

The local ordinance requires that for a violation to occur, the person must knowingly possess the weapon.