HINDS COUNTY, Miss. (WJTV) – A Hinds County supervisor told WJTV 12 News that he never got the chance to explain himself before he was expelled from Monday’s board meeting.

District 2 Supervisor Tony Smith said he was exiting the building when Hinds County Sheriff Tyree Jones approached him and asked Smith to place his gun in his vehicle during the board meeting’s recess.

Before Smith could go back inside, he said he was not allowed to come back in. He claimed the gun was empty, and he only had it because he was visiting his rental properties before the meeting and forgot to remove it.

“I have a bunch of rental properties, and I go and check them. So, I mean, there was no threat. There was no… there was no hostile intent,” Smith said.

He added that this was a simple mistake and that he believes others supervisors are trying to use this as a way to discredit him.