Man tried to sneak sword in cane into jail holding son

SAN ANTONIO — A Texas man has been caught trying to smuggle a two-foot-long sword into a jail where he son was being held by hiding it in a cane adorned to look like the head of a snake, corrections officials said on Wednesday.

Jose Gonzalez, 53, was caught at the jail in San Antonio with the sword inside the cane affixed with a twist-off top in the shape of a snake, said James Keith, a spokesman for the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office.

“He had to go through the scanners, which is standard procedure for visitors,” Keith said, and there, the sword was discovered.

Officials said they did not know why Gonzalez brought the sword to the jail. He was booked on a charge of illegally carrying a weapon and has been released on bond, Keith said.

“There is a reason why we have to have security monitors,” he said, adding that the sword and cane had been confiscated.