21-year-old Benjamin Baines Jr. was arrested at Tampa International
Airport last weekend after TSA found a box cutter in a hollowed-out
book.
About 7:30 a.m. Sunday, Baines' backpack was sent through an X-ray
machine and TSO saw the image of a box cutter. When searching the
backpack, a TSO found a book titled "Fear Itself." The book was hollowed
out, and the box cutter was inside. TSO also found books in the backpack
titled "Muhammad in the Bible," "The Prophet's Prayer" and "The Noble
Qur'an" as well as copy of the Quran and the Bible.
Initially Baines said his cousin had cut away the pages to make the
hollow section in the book. Later, he said he had hollowed it out
himself to hide money and marijuana from his roommates.
PAX was arrested and charged with carrying a concealed weapon and
booked into Orient Road Jail. At his first appearance in court Monday,
Baines pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 30 days in jail.
Upon completion of his 30 days jail sentence for the state charge,
Baines will be arrested by U.S. marshals. If convicted, Baines faces up
to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 for a federal charge
of attempting to board an airplane with a concealed dangerous weapon.
This is not a government owned website. There is no SSI
posted here.