Three elderly people with knives arrested at Palm Beach airport

Drudge | April 4, 2002 | AP

[SLB]

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - (AP) -- Three passengers in their 70s were arrested and later released in separate incidents at Palm Beach International Airport for allegedly trying to board flights while carrying knives.

Security screeners found the knives in carry-on luggage during routine checks early Wednesday, airport sheriff's deputies said.

Authorities charged each traveler with carrying a concealed weapon, a first-degree misdemeanor that carries a penalty of up to a year in the county jail and a $1,000 fine. The FBI declined to press federal charges.

According to sheriff's records, Harold Shepard, 71, of New York, told deputies he was not carrying knives. Officers said they arrested Shepard after finding a knife with a 7 ½-inch blade in a box that was taped shut. He was later released from jail on $250 bond.

In the other incidents, Elizabeth Napleton, 76, of Illinois, and Stanley Reinhart, 79, of California, were issued notices to appear in court and allowed to board their flights. Authorities did not release their hometowns.

Napleton told deputies that she had meant to check the briefcase containing the knives, but later decided to bring it on the plane, authorities said.

Reinhart was stopped while carrying a steak knife with a 5-inch blade packed in his shaving kit, authorities said. Reinhart said he had just driven across the country and had kept the knife to cut his food while he was staying in hotels.

[lawdog]

It's called "unintended consequences" and this type of "catch" won't make you one bit "safer".

[Have Ruck - Will Travel]

Okay, I did NOT shoot coffee out of my nose when I initially read this. HOWEVER, after mentally picturing the looks on the faces of 3 or 4 raghead terrorists standing in the isle of an aircraft facing a mob of angry men, women, and little old ladies revving the engines of their chainsaws and then pitifully looking down at their boxcutters, I admit I lost it. There goes the keyboard and monitor.

I am just glad that I got to work early enough this morning that I was the only one in the office at the time. :-)

Thanks Laz

[FreedomPoster]

I use an 16 inch 1898 Turkish baynet to dig up weeds in my yard. I tell the neighbors that it is a mail-order gardening tool.

LOL! That's a riot! And I'm sure you can mail order them, from TAPCO or someone similar.

[FreedomPoster]

Damn this crap. People carry knives because they are tools. Most of us grew up with pocket knives *always* in our pockets, and I'm more than certain that was the case with each of these harried citizens.

I carry this just about everywhere I go:

I feel naked without it's presence in my strong-side back pocket; it's there now. I carried it on numerous commercial flights before 9/11. Knives aren't the issue. The people we let in our country, and on our aircraft, are.

[proudofthesouth]

I'm the only woman I know who carries a couple of small pocket knives in my purse. My co workers know that I have them. I can't begin to tell you how many times someone has asked to borrow one to open a package. Also, I haven't traveled since Sept. 11th. When I do, I will have to be very, very careful when I pack as I'm used to having these knives in my purse and will have to sure to remove them before I go to the airport.

[A CA Guy]

Some day I see the need to make all passengers strip off their clothes and have all put a robe and jamas given by airline on for the trip.

Won't stop a bomb in the luggage, but would stop all threat of people on the plane. It is where I think this will have to go. IMO

[The Raven]

I just got stopped for having scissors in my bag. Trouble is - I didn't have any scissors.....Not sure what they were looking at - but they did a hand search, shook their head, and waved m on.

[Oztrich Boy]

You know what - how about if everyone carried weapons on board - that includes nutjobs too.

Good. Now you're thinking outside the box.

two scenarios
1) one or two armed nutjobs vs. 200 unarmed victims
2) one or two armed nutjobs vs. 200 armed citizens

How long will it take before people realize that the idea disarming the public is based on the theory that the good guys are in the minority?

[ctdonath2]

I was indeed referring to it as the last line of defense. Yes, we need more lines of defense than that - but not at the expense of that last line.

And yes, sometimes the dragon wins.

[jonathonandjennifer]

Why the heck did they have to go and carry knives for. The excuse for cutting food is ridiculous. Most hotels will give you a knife if you want it. That was a dumb thing. Listen I don't care if they are senior citizens - everyone has to obey the rules in the airports there should be no exceptions. I don't care how old they are. They should have known better.

What's the matter with you? Have you no mind? Or is this sarcasm?

[dcwusmc]

BUMP for comments

[SLB]

I was carrying a shotgun and shells to school in the early 1960's to go duck hunting with after school.

I remember rding my bike out to a friends house to hunt pheasants when I was about 14 or 15. I carried a single shot Iver Johnson 16 ga across the handlebars. Can you imagine what would happen in today's society if that was tried? The parents would never see the light of day again.

[sneakypete]

Can you imagine what would happen in today's society if that was tried?

Yup,the local police would call in a air strike on you,and then have their SWAT team shoot at your dead body until they ran out of ammunition.

The parents would never see the light of day again.

You're right. The police would charge them with YOUR death,after they got through killing you.

[SLB]

Duck hunting? That was my greatest love, right behind pheasants. Nothing finer than jump shooting on the Laramie River in December and January!

[TLI]

Say it like it is, your kid which is white, is getting singled out because of a QUOTA.

Some middle management dolt has to have numbers on paper to point to, to "prove" they are not a "raciest" when they search, according to the facts and COMMON SENSE, the most likely suspects.

Of course, never mind the fact that the entire NATION is being pumped into a cesspool of "politically correct" COMMUNIST LIES, by abiding by such "politically correct" bullshit and the very thing that made this Nation great is (was) it's aversion to such "politically correct" bullshit.

THAT is why the left is pushing so hard and acting so "offended" when an AMERICAN stand up, points a finger at a snot nosed whiny liberal and pronounces is a clear loud voice that YES the communist agenda "liberals" (democrats) are in fact trying to feminize this nation.  That is the only way they can defeat us as it is pretty clear to anyone with a lick of common sense that any attempt to disarm Americans through usurpation of the Second Amendment will only result in AR2.

Thanks for listening...