A woman who once ran for a seat in the State Senate is facing charges after a small arsenal was found in her vehicle when she was pulled over in Niagara Falls.
Gia Arnold was arrested Thursday night by police in Niagara Falls after an AR-15, a handgun, a KBAR combat knife and a black ski mask were found in her vehicle.
The mother of three is charged with third degree criminal possession of an assault weapon and was arraigned Friday morning.
Also arrested was 18-year-old Halim Johnson. His connection to Arnold is unclear but he was in her vehicle and is also charged with third degree criminal possession of an assault weapon.
You may remember Arnold from the race for the 62nd District State Senate seat. The then 24-year-old was hoping to replace long-time State Senator George Maziarz after he announced he would not seek reelection.
Arnold was running in the Republican primary, but dropped out after an extramarital affair came to light. She later re-entered the race, saying her constituents backed her in spite of her infidelity.
She was easily defeated by Robert Ortt, then mayor of North Tonawanda. He went on to win the seat in the 62nd District.
Arnold ran on a pro-gun platform and gun rights advocates are already rallying to her side. A post has already raised nearly $1,800 for her legal defense, saying, "On Feb 10th Gia Arnold and her boyfriend became victims of the NYS (UN)Safe Act and racial profiling. We are asking all patriots to Rally behind her and help her get out of this horrid mess. Think about this, you get pulled over for not using a turn signal and it turns into a felony charge because you invoked your constitutional right to remain silent."
