Executive with idle grenade arrested

The Boston Globe ^ | 2-27-2003 | Mac Daniel

[Cagey]

One of Boston's top advertising executives was arrested yesterday at Logan Airport after he was found carrying an inert, hollowed-out hand grenade through security.

Walter ''Skip'' Pile, 55, of Brookline, was charged with felony possession and transportation of a hoax device after a federal security screener spotted the inert World War II-era grenade during a routine X-ray search of Pile's laptop briefcase yesterday morning at Logan's Terminal B.

[rickmichaels]

Good judgment, Pile! (What a moron.)

[alley cat]

For some reason the phrase "too stupid to live" keeps coming to mind...

[agitator]

ooooooooooh! We haven't caught any of the real criminals working for the caterer, so let's hang a dummy instead !

[ARCADIA]

The man was carrying a paper weight, not a grenade. The item frightened the security staff because of their ineptitude and not because of anything done by the passenger. A reasonable person would have opened the case, found the object, determined it to have been safe, and moved along. What will be the next item of choice for harassing passengers? It doesn't matter, since our airlines are unlikely to survive much longer.

This kind of security behavior is not protecting anyone. It is costing us money, needlessly tying up our courts, and damaging the lives of otherwise law abiding people. If this is the impact of our security rules, then those rules need to be reassesed, and the retards enforcing them should be retrained or replaced.

[Vinnie]

Pile is CEO of Pile & Co

An aberration in the Peter Principle.

He obviously has risen well above his incompetence.

[AndyJackson]

The basis of a felony is that you did something criminal - i.e. you had criminal intent. While this guy may have had a senior moment this does not make him a felon. On this subtle little distinction hangs most of our civil liberties. Therefore, I have to say that - once again - our jack booted thugs with a badge have over-reacted. If you want to charge him with a civil penalty for his stupidty and fine him $500 bucks that is ok - I guess. But a felony you know like he raped or murdered or somesuch is ludicrous.

[glock rocks]

note to self:

don't wrap your ethernet cable around a grenade before flying.

[Eaker]

I was going to say soemthing but ya'll said it for me.

Thanks!

Stay safe; stay armed.
Eaker FReeper Status

[Ranger]

A fake handgrenade is hard to tell from a real one on a plane with screaming passengers. Book'em Donno. Its not unreasonable that he be hauled in on this one, as I'm sure there were several hundred people in line waiting to go through security. Logan rightfully takes an aggressive attitude about security and I've come to respect the security folks there.

[STFrancis]

I tend to disagree with you. A reasonable person would have confiscated the grenade or not let him travel. When you try to kidnapp a plane nobody knows if it's a "real" grenade or not. It was his own stupidity to forget it in his briefcase.

And with his ethernet cable and Watch in the case I am sure that it would create quite a stir. Cause the screener can not determine right away if it's a real bomb or not.

The screener did his job per the rules in place right now. A couple of months ago people were making fun of them when a security professional was walking through security with a bunch of duds in his case.

They can not win one way or the other.

Reality though tells me that the guy probably gets off with some kind of a fine and a slap on the wrist since this was an accident. News organization always like to point out the MAXIMUM sentence possible which does not necessarily reflect reality.

[Gorzaloon]

I have a novelty grenade, with a tag that has the number "one" on it, attached to the pin. It is Mounted on an acrylic stand, on which is imprinted "COMPLAINT DEPARTMENT-TAKE A NUMBER"

It was bought as a joke item decades ago.

However, even then, before any of this terror atmosphere, there is no way I would have put it into airport luggage.

What would any reasonable person expect it to look like on XRay? Perhaps, just possibly, it might look like a grenade.

The guy is an a$$hole, and deserves to be thrown into a dungeon and forgotten, because it has nothing to do with abusive security personell and everything to do with some burned-out advertising c********* who thought he could treat them like he treats everyone else in traffic at rush hour.

[null and void]

Executive with idle grenade arrested

An idle grenade is the Devil's workshop...

[ARCADIA]

As far as I know being an A$$hole is not a crime. There wouldn't be many people left walking around if it were.

[csvset]

Idle denies owning a grenade

[Ben Ficklin]

Passenger charged with a felony for carrying a symbol.

[ARCADIA]

And with his ethernet cable and Watch in the case I am sure that it would create quite a stir. Cause the screener can not determine right away if it's a real bomb or not.

A "stir", why let's just shoot the bum and put him out of our misery. The screener's misconception of events does not change the reality of what we have. If you have a suspicious item you detain the individual and isolate and explore the item further to determine what it is. Only then should you decide on appropriate action. In this case the man was arrested for carrying what was LATER determined to be an inert paper weight.

We have to end the perception that everyone who buys an airline ticket is guilty until proven innocent. Jail the SOB, and then figure it out, sets a dangerous precident.

[Atlas Sneezed]

Bang

[joesnuffy]

Good thing he didnt have a picture of an atomic bomb in his wallet...

[cgbg]

everyone who buys an airline ticket is guilty until proven innocent

I guess the only way we can be assured of being innocent is to stay away from airports.

Works for me since I refuse to fly until the current nuttiness has run its course.

But I bet the airline industry dosen't think much of the idea.