SALT LAKE CITY — A man is facing several charges after he allegedly stole an unattended boarding pass and used it to get past security and onto an aircraft at Salt Lake City International Airport earlier this month, and police said when the man was apprehended he had illegal drugs in his possession.
Michael Reith Salata, AKA Kelly Salata, was arrested November 5 after airport police responded to a report of a man who was on the secure side of the airport without a proper boarding pass.
According to a statement of probable cause from the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office, authorities investigated and learned the man had picked up someone else’s unattended boarding pass from a Southwest kiosk and used it to get onto the aircraft.
The man’s fraudulent use of the pass wasn’t discovered until the owner of the boarding pass tried to board the plane and the inconsistency was then noted.
Salata was detained, and when police searched him they found two bags in his pockets containing green leafy substances, which later tested positive for marijuana.
According to the statement of probable cause, Salata was booked into jail on charges that include possession of marijuana, use or possession of drugs, and a third-degree felony charge for the alleged fraudulent handling of the boarding pass.
