A Cincinnati-bound flight was canceled Tuesday after a cleaning crew discovered a man sitting on a Boeing 737 after he scaled a security fence and climbed on board, authorities said.
Gregory Wester, 32, was arrested at Raleigh-Durham International Airport and charged with trespassing and illegal possession of a prescription drug in addition to a federal charge of accessing an aircraft without permission, airport spokeswoman Mindy Hamlin said. He was being held by U.S. Marshalls at the Wake County jail.
The man was not determined to be a threat, Hamlin said.
Passengers were put on other flights after the security breach. The flight, Delta Air Lines Flight 717, was scheduled to leave around 6 a.m. but was canceled after the plane was re-swept by security, airline spokesman Anthony Black said.
A telephone message left after hours Tuesday with the U.S. Marshals Service in Raleigh was not immediately returned. It was not immediately clear if Wester had a lawyer.
The Transportation Security Administration often reviews an airport's security measures after breaches, but Raleigh-Durham officials weren't immediately told to alter or bolster security, Hamlin said.
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