David Santee (Credit: Chicago Police Department)
A Cook County prosecutor said Equity Residential COO David Santee brought a loaded handgun to a TSA checkpoint at O’Hare International Airport and was arrested early Friday morning.
Santee said little during his bond hearing over the weekend at the Leighton Criminal Court Building, according to the Chicago Tribune.
The arrest report notes the weapon was a Smith & Wesson M&P Shield 9mm handgun. Santee was later charged with boarding an airplane with a weapon and a judge ordered him to pay $300 to be released from custody.
Assistant State’s Attorney Bob Groebner said the details of the case were “typical,” and said that Santee had said he’d forgotten the gun was in his carry-on bag.
Since 2016, more than 7,300 guns have been confiscated by TSA officials, according to the Tribune.
So far in 2018, three would-be travelers have been nabbed with guns at O’Hare, along with six at Midway.
Firearms, or firearm parts and ammunition are never allowed by the TSA in carry-on baggage, but they can be in checked bags if a set of procedures is followed. Violators face arrest, as well as civil penalties that can climb as high as $13,066 per violation.
Equity Residential announced earlier this month that Santee, 59, would step down from his role as COO at the end of June and would retire by the end of the year. His planned successor in the role is Michael L. Manelis, whose current title is Executive Vice President of Property Operations. [Tribune] –Scott Klocksin
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