An Omaha man was arrested at the Douglas County Courthouse this week after refusing to part ways with a small dagger inspired by the anime series Naruto. Tony Carter, 32, was booked into Douglas County Corrections on Thursday on charges of obstruction, resisting arrest and a bench warrant, after security flagged the item during screening.
According to 1011now.com, the Douglas County Sheriff's Office said Carter was stopped after trying to bring a small letter opener or dagger into the building, which was treated as a weapon under courthouse rules. The item turned up during the screening process.
Security did not immediately arrest him. The report notes he was given multiple opportunities to either leave the building to secure the item before returning or to simply surrender it at the checkpoint. Carter chose neither option, and deputies ultimately arrested him and booked him into the Douglas County Department of Corrections.
A Missed Hearing Compounds the Trouble
The standoff over the dagger came with a steep cost: Carter missed his own scheduled court date for separate charges of assault and battery, damage to property and disorderly conduct, per the same report. Now he is scheduled to appear in court for that missed hearing in December. He is being held on $65,000 bond after being booked on obstruction and resisting-arrest charges tied to Thursday's incident.
How Courthouse Security Screens Thousands Each Month
The Douglas County Sheriff's Office provides security for the courthouse, and the agency has said that safety and security are paramount to its court services bureau mission. The screening process Carter encountered is not a small operation — WOWT has reported that roughly 25,000 people pass through security in and around the courthouse every month.
That same report found pocket knives and pepper spray are common finds for the contraband bin, and that guns occasionally turn up too — security had stopped three firearms from entering the building within less than six months of 2024, matching the total seized for all of the previous year. In one case cited by the station, a woman's handgun was seized and booked into evidence, and she was issued a misdemeanor citation; in another, a man headed to a protection-order hearing with a loaded handgun later pleaded guilty to carrying a concealed weapon where prohibited and was sentenced to 10 days in jail.
What the Courthouse Rules Actually Prohibit
The Douglas County Clerk of the District Court spells out exactly what cannot pass through the doors. Per the Douglas County Clerk of the District Court, weapons of any kind are banned from the courthouse, including pocket knives, scissors, mace, pepper spray and any type of firearm. The Hall of Justice relies on metal detectors and X-ray machines to catch prohibited items before they reach courtrooms, the same source notes.
Naruto, the manga and anime series about ninjas that inspired the blade's design, has nothing to do with the legal fallout Carter now faces. What matters to the court system is simpler: the item was deemed a weapon, and Carter declined the chances offered to resolve the problem without an arrest. He is scheduled to appear in court for the missed hearing in December.
