PITTSBURGH — A radio station suspended a reporter who was caught with a loaded handgun in his briefcase as he entered a courthouse to cover a trial.

KDKA-TV reported Tuesday that Rob Milford, 53, a general assignment reporter at KDKA Radio, will be off the job while the radio station conducts an internal investigation.

Milford was charged Monday with possession of a firearm in a court facility and carrying a firearm without a license. He was carrying a .38-caliber revolver, the Allegheny County Sheriff's office said.

Milford told authorities he didn't realize the gun was in his briefcase, said Allegheny County Sheriff William Mullen. Milford acknowledged that he had possessed the gun for a while, but it did not belong to him, Mullen said.

KDKA-TV reported that Milford told authorities the gun belongs to his girlfriend.

A phone number for Milford could not immediately be found. It was not immediately clear whether Milford had an attorney. Milford remains free on his own recognizance.

Milford has worked at the station since 2006. Before that, he worked at Fox News Radio and CBS Radio covering everything from hurricanes to the Iraq war.

This is the second time in a week that someone has been charged with trying to bring a gun into the courthouse.

On Thursday, a woman who was a witness in a criminal case was arrested when security screeners found a semiautomatic handgun in her purse. She told authorities she didn't know the gun was in her purse.