CHARLOTTESVILLE, Virginia - December 31, 2010 - A Charlottesville man who stripped down to his underwear at Richmond International Airpot to protest security-screening procedures was charged with disorderly conduct Thursday, airport police said.
Airport police identified him as Aaron B. Tobey, 21. He told police he was a student at the University of Cincinnati. The incident occurred at 2:17 p.m. at Checkpoint B, the busier of the airport's two checkpoints, said airport spokesman Troy M. Bell.
Bell said police reported that when they arrived at the checkpoint, they found Tobey, "absent of pants and shirt in full public view, exposing language regarding the Fourth Amendment written on his chest and abdomen with marker or crayon."
The message read, "Amendment 4: The right of the people to be secure against unreasonable searches and seizures shall not be violated," said Bell.
Many air travelers are upset by tough new, invasive screening procedures in which they must choose between full-body scanners that emit dangerous radiation or overly intrusive pat down searches that are tantamount to sexual assault.
Tobey was interviewed by airport police and federal authorities, issued a citation for disorderly conduct and released. He is scheduled for arraignment in Henrico County General District Court on January 10.
