Gun Seized at Gwinnett Courthouse

Lesley Lynn Fanning of Dacula, the estranged wife of John Fanning, was arrested and charged with attempting to bring a concealed weapon into the Gwinnett Justice Administration Center in Lawrenceville Wednesday, Sept. 12, according to an incident report filed by the Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Department.

The handgun was discovered in her purse or laptop computer bag about 1:45 p.m. as it was going through X-ray screening at the entrance to the courthouse by Gwnnett Sheriff's Deputy Jimmy Melancon. The gun and 10 rounds of ammunition were confiscated after other deputies arrived on the scene. Mrs. Fanning was charged with carrying a concealed weapon without a permit and carrying a weapon into a public gathering place.

John Fanning, also of Dacula, is the son of former Gwinnett Commissioner Shirley Lasseter. Lasseter pleaded guilty Sept. 5 in federal district court in Atlanta and was sentenced to 33 months in prison for accepting bribes to vote in favor of a proposed real estate development in her commission district. The bribes, totaling $36,500, came from a FBI agent posing as a Florida developer.