Burlington, Ky. ? A man whose claim that he had a knife shut down part of the Cincinnati airport over the weekend blurted out in court Monday that it was not a weapon but a “pen with a cigar cutter.”

Charles Cowsert, 40, of Council Grove, Kan., made the statement before the judge cut him off.

Police say Cowsert passed the main airport security checkpoint, then was chosen for a random search at the Comair gate. He allegedly told security screeners there that he had a small knife, but none was found.

Screening personnel saw a bulge in Cowsert’s sock and intended to search him, but he walked away in his socks.

All three concourses in the main terminal, which handles 92 percent of airport traffic, were evacuated because Cowsert allegedly claimed he gave the knife to a one-armed man in a wheelchair, according to Transportation Security Administration spokeswoman Deirdre O’Sullivan. Thousands of passengers were re-screened.

Security personnel examined airport videotapes and determined there was no such accomplice.

Cowsert was arrested because a small amount of marijuana was found, police said.

Boone County District Judge Michael Collins rejected Cowsert’s offer to plead guilty to misdemeanor charges of possessing marijuana and drug paraphernalia. He said the evacuation raised the possibility of more charges.

“That makes it a lot more than a drug case at this point,” Collins said. “I’m not saying you’re guilty or not guilty. … When you close down airports, it involves many people and much confusion.”

Federal authorities initially said on Sunday that Cowsert had run away from a screener, but there was no indication that the man ran.

Wearing a black shirt and jeans, Cowsert arrived in court Monday chained to a line of jail inmates, half of whom were in jail-issue striped clothing.

When the judge asked if he understood the charges, Cowsert replied, “Sir, I’m not really aware of much of anything.”