No Federal Charges for Atlanta Football Fan in Airport Security Breech

Newsday ^ | 11/18/01

[11th Earl of Mar]

ATLANTA -- A man who dashed through a security checkpoint at the nation's busiest airport, forcing officials to halt flights and evacuate passengers, will not face federal charges, prosecutors said Monday.

Michael Lasseter did not violate any federal laws because he did not board an airplane, and because the screening station guards are not federal agents, said Patrick Crosby, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office.

[GuillermoX]

This moron should be lashed 100 times.

[11th Earl of Mar]

Disorderly conduct carries a maximum of 12 months in jail and a $1,000 fine

That is more than enough punishment for a innocent, but stupid, crime like this.

[FITZ]

Good because he was an American citizen who wasn't trying to hurt anyone.

[Principled]

he works for a national bank (regulator's term). i wonder if a conviction will "change" his career path?

[Silly]

I'm very happy that this guy won't have to suffer more than he has. He may have been a bit foolish, but these things do happen, and he should NOT have to suffer to a degree ridiculously disproportionate to his actions.

Good for him.

[Big E]

I think not. This is a willful act of negligence and stupidity which inconvenienced thousands, not to mention the millions of dollars it cost the airlines. Which they will probably come to me the taxpayer at some point to get as a subsidy. Idiots like this one, and people who mail white powder as a joke should be made an example of. The country's at war, so everyone should wise up.

[Rodney King]

Look, the guy is a tool, but he did not cause the air traffic shutdowns and the millions in losses. Over-reactive idiots did. We keep telling ourselves that we are not going to let the terrorists win, but then we over-react to everything and make our lives miserable. So the guy is in the airport. Big deal. Check everybody who gets on the planes, but jesus christ, let them get on the planes and let the planes go.

[mlocher]

was the man trying to get a lost briefcase to some hertz customer before his plane left?

[Leroy S. Mort]

Exactly !

[PBRSTREETGANG]

I believe he left his son on the plane, which left while he was busy searching the terminal for his camera bag. (I'd like to know the name of the bank that employs this mental giant.)

[BikerNYC]

What, no trial before a military tribunal?

[lelio]

How did they catch him? I thought he disappeared.

[ReaganGirl]

They didn't charge the moron who "Forgot" he had a gun in his briefcase and they shouldn't charge this guy either.

[Tatze]

I believe he left his son on the plane...

He did, but not alone. His brother or brother-in-law, or some other adult was with his son, as was another boy. If he had left his juvenile son on the plane alone, by all means, add a reckless endangerment or some other such crime. Personally, I dont think jail time is appropriote, but neither is $1000 fine quite enough. I think something in the $5k-$10k range is much more appropriote.

[Servant of the Nine]

They should have thrown the book at him,and then made him pay the millions in costs for rescheduling.

"pour encourager les autres"

We are in a war. fools like this are not going to take the rules seriously until one of them is publicly crucified. They should have made an example of him.

So9

[Servant of the Nine]

They should have thrown the book at him,and then made him pay the millions in costs for rescheduling.

"pour encourager les autres"

We are in a war. fools like this are not going to take the rules seriously until one of them is publicly crucified. They should have made an example of him.

So9

[RickyJ]

He comitted a criminal act and should be going to jail for a very long time. He ran pass two guards and went down a up escalator, just to avoid going through a security checkpoint at the airport. This guy should't be around normal people because he too stupid. He needs to be locked for his own good.

[Romulus]

The country's at war, so everyone should wise up.

I'm getting mighty tired of this "don't you know there's a war on?" excuse as a tactic of criminalizing every Tom, Dick, & Harry, all the better to advance the aims of Big Brother. For a certain species of "conservative", there's never enough law 'n' order. Even as thousands of Stalinist apparatchiks sang his praises up till and including the moments when they were marched out and shot on his orders.

[maestro]

I think the guy planned the whole thing along with 'others' to their advantage!!
IMHO