Cops: Drunk Banker Posed as Airport Screener

He singled out female passengers for pat-downs
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 18, 2014 12:10 AM CDT
Cops: Drunk Banker Posed as Airport Screener
Singleton was arrested before he could board his flight to Hong Kong from San Francisco.   (Wikipedia)

Federal authorities are investigating how a man who had been boozing at an airport lounge was apparently able to pass himself off as an airport screener and bring women into a private booth for pat-downs. Law enforcement tell the San Francisco Chronicle that the man's outfit of khaki pants, a blue polo shirt, and rubber gloves he had seemingly swiped resembled that of the real screeners. He allegedly brought one woman into a booth for a pat-down and was busted when he brought a second woman to the booth.

When the real screeners spotted the man bringing a woman into the private screening area, they realized something was amiss because male screeners aren't allowed to pat women down without having a female screener present. A man identified as Eric Slighton, a 53-year-old investment banker who was bound for Hong Kong, was arrested and charged with public drunkenness, KPIX reports. He may face more charges if authorities are able to track down the female passengers he reportedly patted down. The suspect's father says he is "extremely shocked" by his son's alleged behavior. "There was a time in the past when he had a drinking problem, but that was 10 years ago," he says. (More Transportation Security Administration stories.)

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