Aaron B. Tobey, Airport Protester, Sees December Charges Dropped

RICHMOND, Va. — A man who stripped to his underwear at a Richmond International Airport checkpoint to protest security procedures won't face a criminal charge.

Media outlets report that a disorderly conduct charge against 21-year-old Aaron Tobey of Charlottesville was dropped Monday following a hearing in Henrico General District Court.

Airport police had said Tobey took off his shirt and pants at the airport on Dec. 30. He had scrawled across his chest a reference to the Constitution's 4th Amendment protections against unreasonable search and seizure.

Commonwealth's Attorney Wade Kizer says Tobey's actions didn't rise to a level that would violate the disorderly conduct law.

Comments

[Alexodia]

05:11 AM on 01/12/2011

Man I'm flying soon im soo going to go as flaming as I can.

[tsudopnem]

02:14 AM on 01/11/2011

For my next flight, I'll be wearing a skirt, no panties, and will let them know that they can't touch me there. They aren't the fashion police. Also, I'll let them know that I have a latex allergy so they'd better have some polyurethane gloves or they're not touching me. I'll make sure to buy flight insurance ;-)

[yetiwatcher]

09:28 PM on 01/10/2011

yeah, because TSA doesn't care about your rights
they know - or should have known - the charge wouldn't stick, but they'll use it to get you out the door and off the scene
should sue for false imprisonment

[Mondayboy]

06:59 PM on 01/10/2011

I am going to summarize comments from a question I asked earlier on this thread.

Why do TSA officials have no sense of humor. So I am being frisked by a TSA officer and suddenly I spring a hard on. The TSA is looking at this rather large swelling in my pants and understands what is going on. So I asked him, "can I have a happy ending." The next thing I know the cops were arresting me.

[Primadonna]

08:49 PM on 01/10/2011

LOL ... oh comic relief is a treasure!

[Mondayboy]

08:53 PM on 01/10/2011

fanned right back. I need several laughs each day.

[jennytaylia]

04:14 PM on 01/10/2011

Wow, I can actually be proud of my home county of Henrico for doing the right thing!!

[b1rd67]

04:08 PM on 01/10/2011

A young citizen writes the 4th amendment on his chest and strips at a checkpoint that (virtually) requires one to submit to strip searches and he's charged with disorderly conduct.

On the other hand!

A family of lawyers decide to call themselves a church and harrass the families of fallen Marines at their funerals and we can't do anythign about it!

[nevernot]

03:16 PM on 01/10/2011

The repubs decided to read the entire constitution on the floor, forget to read two pages and nothing happens, they didn't even realize they missed the pages until a member of the audience calls them out. Some kid shows his love of freedom, America, and the constitution by scrawling an amendment on his chest and he gets arrested. Welcome to America, the land of hypocrisy.

[satanlite]

03:59 PM on 01/10/2011

This is what happens in any country that allows the rightwing to rise to prominance.

[halfassedfilms]

03:11 PM on 01/10/2011

Wow, an act of freedom in the "land of the free" and he "got away with it"

Sad that this even has to be news. Sad that we've lined up like so many heads of beef, ready for our own slaughter.

[VashS5]

02:50 PM on 01/10/2011

Good.

[Primadonna]

02:34 PM on 01/10/2011

I fly a lot ... and I noticed during my December/January travels that TSA has installed many more of these scanners ... and there seems to be no choices to get around them, as I had to inquire about a pat down. Oh, there was a small sign that stated you would have to ask for a pat down, so the majority just got in line and went through the scanner - business as usual. Then we had to wait for a male and female agent to appear to perform the pat down - at least 8 minutes we waited. Meanwhile, all of our stuff had gone through the scanner and is out of our sight, although an agent said my concerns were unnecessary as the area is under strict surveillance. They don't make it easy with the option for a pat down. It is almost not an option. I give this guy big kudos for the statement he made. They asked us if we would prefer a public or behind closed doors pat down ... go public because with all of the people around, including children, it seems like it would be the more transparent choice. TSA - give us our options on larger signage so we know we can opt out ... and then have agents readily available for the pat downs. It was as if my son and I were an anomaly ... pretty surreal.

[Mondayboy]

02:30 PM on 01/10/2011

What will happen if they are groping you and you get a hard on?

[Snarkyone]

02:35 PM on 01/10/2011

I imagine you will be called homphobic names since it is the same sex that does the groping.....

[Redemption Song II]

02:46 PM on 01/10/2011

Why homophobic? It's a legitimate concern. (Men cannot always control their physical reaction...just being nervous about being frisked could result in Mondayboy's concern.)

[fred53]

02:50 PM on 01/10/2011

The TSA goon will slip you his phone number...

[mendodnem]

02:18 PM on 01/10/2011

The actions of those TSA gropers and grabbers violate the disorderly
conduct law. They are the ones who should be in court for violating the fourth amendment.

[Redemption Song II]

02:46 PM on 01/10/2011

...these are sad days, indeed.

[platypuszilla]

02:01 PM on 01/10/2011

Those responsible for making the arrest (the police officers) need to at a minimum lose their job and pay to compensate the man who they victimized by violating his rights.

[ectoendomezo]

01:59 PM on 01/10/2011

I'm amazed that it was a 20 something that did it..well..at least ONE of Generation Eloi..WASN'T..Food for Morlochs!

Bravisimo Dude!

[Victoria-nola]

03:01 PM on 01/10/2011

Funny reference. Do you really think the younger generation right now is Eloi-like? I guess it depends on one's exposure-- the ones I know are pretty savvy.

[yappnmutt]

01:57 PM on 01/10/2011

it would probably be wise not to prosecute any of these protesters for fear the case may end up in the supreme court over a civil rights issue that may end the tsa fondling campaign