Posted on 10/25/2012 11:01:52 AM PDT by servo1969
(CBS/AP) NASHVILLE, Tenn. - A woman who berated security officers at a Nashville airport for trying to pat down her teenage daughter, and then refused to submit to the procedure herself, has been found guilty of disorderly conduct.
It took jurors about four hours Tuesday to convict 42-year-old Andrea Abbott for the July confrontation. She was sentenced to a year's probation.
Abbott had faced up to 30 days in jail and a $50 fine, according to CBS affiliate WTVF.
Transportation Security Administration Officer Karen King testified that before the pat-down, Abbott yelled in her face that she didn't want anyone "touching her daughter's crotch."
Abbott eventually allowed her then-14-year-old daughter to undergo the pat-down, but then she refused one for herself and was arrested.
Abbott took the stand during the trial and acknowledged that she did say a few curse words but that she had a normal conversation about why she believed the pat-down was inappropriate.
MORNING UPDATE - Rights!
Andrea Abbott, a Clarksville, Tennessee woman, has been found guilty of disorderly conduct, for yelling at TSA workers attempting to pat down her teenage daughter.
The incident took place in July 2011 at Nashville’s International Airport. Mrs. Abbott, who was not flying but escorting her daughter to the gate, refused the full-body scan for her daughter and herself. She didn’t want government agents to see either of them naked.
They went through the metal detectors, but Ms. Abbott yelled at the female TSA worker sent to pat down the teen, saying she didn’t want anyone “touching her daughter’s crotch.” Things went downhill from there. Eventually she allowed the daughter to undergo the procedure, but refused to be patted down herself, while swearing at the TSA workers and calling them pedophiles.
A jury did not buy the defense argument that Ms. Abbott’s language was a “free speech” issue. Her counsel also argued that since 9/11 we’re losing freedoms and need to draw the line somewhere. The jury didn’t draw the line. After four hours deliberating, they sided with the prosecution.
Ms. Abbott, who was sentenced to probation, failed to understand the basic facts of life. If your government wants to see you naked, or pat down crotches, they have the right to do so. If they want to monitor your calls, put you on security lists, they can do it. The government can do anything it wants. And nobody, especially liberals, will give a hoot! Until a Republican is President.
The TSA needs to be abolished.
We need to ban groping even from a government official, like teachers.
Would have been a good time for jury nullification.
Uh...a Republican began this stuff.
What I don’t get is that she eventually allowed her daughter to be patted down,but not herself.
The reverse would make more sense.
.
“Uh...a Republican began this stuff.”
Yeah, and that “Republican” gave us Obama! Way to go George!
One thing is a fact. If you want to fly and a TSA agent wants to fell you up, they are going to do it.
The answer is Don’t fly.
For those who must fly, Just get used to it.Ask them if they got a thrill when they finish.
Just don’t fly, I haven’t since they started this crap.
Rape the citizens, just don’t dare offend the moose!
I'd object to the gestapo, and wind up in the slammer or the news or both.
The only way to stop this is for there to be a boycott of airports.
A week of empty planes would adjust a lot of feral government attitudes.
Why blame him? Blame the idiot voters, they put him in office, not Bush. TO blame Bush makes you sound like a liberal. Your Bush derangement Syndrome is kicking into high gear, better up the meds.
One of the big problems with the pat down is your valuables
are left unattended.
Wish I'd been on the jury.
I’ve been guilty of this woman’s actions and I spent many a terror-filled day as a result. What would I have done if they had arrested me. What if they came for me? My wonderful husband, who died eighteen months ago from cancer, struggled mightily to stay strong following a diagnosis of stage four.
We traveled until we couldn’t. On our last trip two years ago, he was “selected” for pat down. He, a veteran, a gentleman, a hero with the Silver Star and Purple Heart, two tours in Vietnam, plus two distinguished careers following his twenty years in the Army, was good-natured and cooperative. I think Italians are just that way by nature. I could see his discomfort after twenty minutes of “searching” him in full view of other passengers. I started pacing and imploring anyone who would listen to help end this. He was weak from medications. I could see he was tired of holding his arms over his head while the guy unsnapped his jeans and felt around his crotch. I started making noise at 27 minutes which was met with stern warnings. I didn’t shut up. I started crying. I was told to settle down. I said No. Let him go. Finally, they finished and let him go but our last trip was tinged with the memory of that unnecessary event. I don’t know what I was capable of as far as protesting. I don’t know how much further I would have pushed. I think I would have continued until it benefited neither my husband or me. I would have ruined everything. If it had been my child, they would have had to peel me off the TSA member. Why have we been convinced that this is necessary? Why don’t we have huge metal rooms leading into the airport. Everyone has to walk thru single file. If you are carrying anything that would cause a danger to your fellow passengers, you set off a warning that lasts for ten seconds. You either remove the danger or get blown up. Firemen’s hose. Next.
Me too! Not guilty. It is my belief that the TSA is unconstitutional.
“One of the big problems with the pat down is your valuables are left unattended.”
That’s always been quite disturbing to me. Due to an artificial hip, the alarm always sounds. If there’s no “naked machine” to zip through, then a pat-down for a female can make for a long wait separated from ALL your “stuff”. That’s purse, ID, cell phone, money, etc. All it takes is one criminal TSA employee or traveler to swoop your things and disappear. You’re left with nothing — not even a quarter to make a phone call. I think the gov’t. likes to put us in our place by making us feel/be vulnerable.
“I started crying. I was told to settle down.”
Same thing happened to me — one-half hour after my dad died. He died 5 minutes before the airport shuttle picked me up so I could fly from LA to NY hoping to have time to say “goodbye”. Obviously emotional when arriving at Security, after the generally bad treatment there, I started crying. I was told to settle down. I was told I’d be ARRESTED if I didn’t stop crying.
Isn't it unusual for the search to last so long? Is it usual for the agents to go into men's pants in front of people? Just the thought of having someone going under my clothes is abhorrent to me. This is just sick behavior.
Folks, what’s really sad is the jury that convicted her.
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