Accused Of Drinking On Duty During High Alert

Charles Brady, acting TSA chief at Washington Dulles International Airport (VA), is now on administrative leave after he was arrested at 3:00 am after a Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority police officer spotted him driving erratically down Route 28 in Northern Virginia.

TSA spokeswoman Jennifer Marty said it was obvious the 49-year old Brady wasn't where he was supposed to be doing what he was supposed to be doing. "Obviously it was New Year's, and obviously it was not only a chance to practice but to be on site during the holiday to make sure everything goes smoothly," Marty said. Asked who at the airport had indeed made sure everything went smoothly at that hour, Marty replied, "I couldn't tell you."

Dulles has been the subject of repeated flight cancellations as both US and British authorities keep special tabs on British Airways flights from London's Heathrow Airport. In fact, earlier that day (Wednesday), BA223 had been escorted to Dulles by F-16s because of security concerns.

While Marty says he should have been participating in a safety exercise on a night especially worrisome to TSA officials, Brady said he'd just gotten off work at about 2:30 am when he was stopped. Marty says, while Brady is being investigated, Adm. James Shear will take over as acting federal security director at Dulles.

FMI: www.tsa.gov