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Inactive grenade gets Northwest flight attendant in trouble

MILWAUKEE (AP) — A Northwest Airlines flight attendant has been grounded and could face charges after security personnel found a real but inactive hand grenade in her carry-on luggage, officials said Wednesday.

The 39-year-old Cordova, Tenn., woman, whose name was not released, was expected to appear Thursday in Milwaukee County Circuit Court.

She had been scheduled to work on a Milwaukee-to-Detroit flight Tuesday morning when federal Transportation Security Administration officers detected the inert grenade in her baggage at Mitchell International Airport, said Kim Brooks, a spokeswoman for the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Department.

She said sheriff's deputies were called and arrested her. She later posted bail and was released.

The attendant told the deputies that she purchased the grenade at an Army surplus store as a present to bring home for her son, Brooks said.

She could be charged with disorderly conduct and also could face a federal fine of up to $1,500, according to Brooks and TSA spokeswoman Lara Uselding.

Northwest grounded the flight attendant and is doing its own investigation, airline spokesman Kurt Ebenhoch said.

She brought a hunk of metal with bumps on it to the airport.

Granted, in today's environment it will get you a whole lot of unwanted attention, but it was not a dangerous object.

It sounds like the disorderly condunct charge was used as a catch-all, as in "There is no specific law that you broke but we're arresting you anyway."

I guess fedex would have been cheaper than bail.

Quoted: I guess fedex would have been cheaper than bail.

breasts.  check
ovaries.  check
makeup.  check

yep, she's crazy.  was there any other evidence applicable?

THese things have been around for decades, where have you been? under a rock?

Never walked into an office and seen one on the corner of your bosses desk; usually with a label saying COMPLAINT DEPT. (take a number, as the tag w/ the number is attached to the "pin").

No, well she ain't nuts, stupid maybe, but not nuts.

Now the TSA folks probably qualify IMHO, as falling under that category......

Mike

Sounds like one of those novelty grenades with the tag saying, "Complaint department.  Please take a number" tied to the pin.

Of course, you'd never get that from the article.  

Exactly what law did she break? It'd be like arresting somebody for an undeclared airsoft gun or something.

TSA confiscated and filed an incident report about a friend of mine who inadvertantly had a small pistol magazine (kel-tec) in his carry on.  Yes, it was empty.  It's a piece of folded sheet metal for crying out loud.

Nope.  TSA is just the biggest collection of drooling mouth-breather dipshits you'll ever see out side of Congress.  

Quoted: Exactly what law did she break? It'd be like arresting somebody for an undeclared airsoft gun or something.

She made the TSA idiots piss themselves, so she had to pay.

The question is the "real but inactive" part.  Could be anything from a live grenade without a fuse to one of the above mentioned novelty grenades.  Since she bought it at a surplus store, I tend to think it is actually a training grenade with a pre-fired fuse screwed in.  (the basic parts the complaint dept. grenades are made of).  We will see.....

They can't take a joke!

BigDozer66

Quoted: Nope.  TSA is just the biggest collection of drooling mouth-breather dipshits you'll ever see out side of Congress.

I haven't had any problems with the TSA folks at the Charleston, SC, airport, but I've heard horror stories about them in some of the big cities.

In before the, "If it'll save ONE life it's worth it!" response.

OOPS, wrong site. I must be thinking of DU.

They threatened to confiscate a decorative balance scale I bought in vegas because it had a sharp edge. Why not have all passengers strip naked and stow all clothes and personal items in cargo and require that they wear strictly an inmate style tunic with plastic flip flops issued by TSA.

Quoted: Why not have all passengers strip naked and stow all clothes and personal items in cargo and require that they wear strictly an inmate style tunic with plastic flip flops issued by TSA.

It could happen someday.  

Quoted: breasts.  check ovaries.  check makeup.  check yep, she's crazy.  was there any other evidence applicable?

yep, he answered his own question and didn't even know it:

Is this woman nuts?

This woman is a woman.
All women are nuts.
Therefore, this woman is nuts.

Quoted: breasts.  check ovaries.  check makeup.  check yep, she's crazy.  was there any other evidence applicable?

Maybe it was a test by some bad-guys to see if an inert grenade could be carried on, then when that trial is successful they start carrying on live grenades. Hummmmm????!!!! Maybe - just maybe.

Then again, maybe she's just an idiot.

Reminds me of the San Diego incident just a few years ago.  

There was a ringer going through the security check with a fake grenade in his open carry on bag.  It had a sweater on top of some of the other items in the bag.  He apparently got through the check point with it, and then some dirtbag stole the bag and boarded her flight.  As she was stowing the stolen bag in the overhead, the dummy grenade fell out into the plane aisle.  Jailarity ensued.

There is a CA Penal Code section that prohibits even dummy grenades at airport "Sterile Areas":

171.5.  (a) For purposes of this section:
  (1) "Airport" means an airport, with a secured area, that
regularly serves an air carrier holding a certificate issued by the
United States Secretary of Transportation.
  (2) "Passenger vessel terminal" means only that portion of a
harbor or port facility, as described in Section 105.105(a)(2) of
Title 33 of the Code of Federal Regulations, with a secured area that
regularly serves scheduled commuter or passenger operations.
  (3) "Sterile area" means a portion of an airport defined in the
airport security program to which access generally is controlled
through the screening of persons and property, as specified in
Section 1540.5 of Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations, or a
portion of any passenger vessel terminal to which, pursuant to the
requirements set forth in Sections 105.255(a)(1), 105.255(c)(1), and
105.260(a) of Title 33 of the Code of Federal Regulations, access is
generally controlled in a manner consistent with the passenger vessel
terminal's security plan and the MARSEC level in effect at the time.

  (b) It is unlawful for any person to knowingly possess, within any
sterile area of an airport or a passenger vessel terminal, any of
the items listed in subdivision (c).
  (c) The following items are unlawful to possess as provided in
subdivision (b):
  (1) Any firearm.
  (2) Any knife with a blade length in excess of four inches, the
blade of which is fixed, or is capable of being fixed, in an
unguarded position by the use of one or two hands.
  (3) Any box cutter or straight razor.
  (4) Any metal military practice hand grenade.
  (5) Any metal replica hand grenade

Goes on to include plastic replicas also.  But, that's Califonia for you.

Quoted: THese things have been around for decades, where have you been? under a rock? Never walked into an office and seen one on the corner of your bosses desk; usually with a label saying COMPLAINT DEPT. (take a number, as the tag w/ the number is attached to the "pin"). No, well she ain't nuts, stupid maybe, but not nuts. Now the TSA folks probably qualify IMHO, as falling under that category...... Mike

Under a rock, no. I use to have a couple of them. But she is going to go past people that confiscate tweezers and scissors.

Did she think they wouldn't hassle her?

TSA = Thugs Standing Around