Waukesha County woman in court for allegedly leaving gun in church

WAUKESHA-The Oconomowoc woman who allegedly left her gun in church appeared in court Monday on a misdemeanor charge of negligently handling a weapon.

She wouldn't answer reporters questions about whether she will continue to have weapons.

Instead, the defense for Susan Hitchler asked to have the case against her dismissed.

\"The complaint doesn't do anything to outline or identify who was endangered,\" defense attorney Thomas Grieve told the court, \"How long they were endangered or when were they endangered or why were they endangered.  It simply asks the reader to make leaps and bounds of logical assumptions and inferences drawn from those pages.\"

 

It was back in March when a worker at Elmbrook Church in Brookfield found a gun in the bathroom.

There was no safety, and one round in the chamber.

Hitchler apparently showed up at the church 30 minutes later looking for her gun.

\"An employee who found the weapon, picked it up and was carrying it around in an unsafe fashion and said, 'Hey, is this real?'  I think that's enough,\" said Court Commissioner Thomas Pieper who moved the case forward.

Hitchler remains free on $1,000 signature bond.