A St. Joseph woman has been charged with a weapon violation after a traffic stop Wednesday.

Kaitlynn White, 18 is charged in Buchanan County with a felony for unlawful use of a weapon.

According to court documents, White was a passenger in a vehicle that was stopped in the 500 block of Faraon for a traffic offense.  White was arrested on a City of St. Joseph warrant for failure to appear in court.

“Officers retrieved the defendant’s purse from her vehicle at her request,” said Officer Jeff Pearl with the St. Joseph Police Department. “Upon her arrival at the Buchanan County Jail officers searched the defendant’s purse incident to arrest. A .22 caliber pistol was found inside.”

Pearl said the gun had been reported stolen out of Buchanan County in 2013.