Using a boarding pass belonging to a woman, a registered sex offender is able to make it past a TSA checkpoint at an international airport.
According to the sheriff’s office of Salt Lake County, 61-year-old Michael Reith Salata was only arrested in a part of Salt Lake International Airport after his attempt to board a plane last Nov. 5, particularly in the Southwest Airlines Flight 1760 heading for Oakland in California.
The true owner of the plane ticket misplaced her boarding pass after printing it out at an airport kiosk, but managed to check into her flight using a replacement on her phone.
Southwest stopped boarding when it was notified of a ticket scanned twice, said airline spokesperson Brandy King in an statement.
Salata was arrested on the basis of fraudulent handling of a legal document, which qualifies as a third-degree felony. He was also suspected of drug possession after police reported finding marijuana in his pockets after being handcuffed.
Based on police records, Salata was convicted of lewdness in Utah in a case involving a child. In 2012, he was placed on the state sex offender registry when he pleaded no contest to the charge of exposing himself near a playground. The homeless man was also cited twice by the police for trespassing at the University of Utah, once prior to and after the incident at the airport.
Meanwhile, Southwest emphasized that TSA screening personnel should verify the boarding passes and identification of airport passengers.
"All passengers must go through the same TSA security screening process before arriving at a gate," the airline said.
TSA spokesperson Lori Dankers admitted in a statement than one of their agents made a mistake in properly identifying the suspect, but cited the “multiple layers of security in place” to completely screen the ticketed passenger as well as the other individual.
Airport police chief Craig Vargo, working at the Utah airport for more than 25 years now, added they have a “very good” working relationship with TSA, but that there is "human element" to blame.
“Individuals make mistakes,” he said, lauding their layered approach towards inspection assigned to multiple officials.
Photo : Kevin Dooley | Flickr
