CONVICTED DRUG DEALER STILL WORKS AT AIRPORT

Southwest Airlines Baggage Handler Can Keep His Security Clearance Under
FAA Rules.

ONTARIO -- A Southwest Airlines baggage handler convicted of selling almost
11 pounds of cocaine while off duty and routing it through Ontario
International Airport is still on the job as he awaits sentencing.

Christopher Cheeks, 40, of Los Angeles, continues to handle bags for
Southwest Airlines in Ontario, and airport police chief Capt. John Bangs
said Wednesday that Federal Aviation Administration rules don't allow him
to revoke Cheeks' security clearance, which allows him unescorted access
around the airport.

"Right now, there is nothing I can do. It is up to the employer," Bangs
said. "It makes my job and that of my employees tougher by having a
convicted felon working there," Bangs said. "I don't think the public would
like it if a felon was handling their baggage."

Southwest Airlines spokeswoman Brandy King said corporate security is
investigating and could not comment at this time.

"We heard about the speculation, and we are trying to get valid
documentation," King said.

Bangs said he never spoke to the airline about Cheeks' drug conviction but
said he believed Southwest officials were aware of the case.

FAA rules implemented in December allow the airport to deny security
clearance to new employees if they have such a drug conviction, Bangs said.
Existing employees such as Cheeks were grandfathered in unless they
committed a crime like treason or interfering with airplanes, he said.

FAA spokesman Mike Fergus said he couldn't comment on the policy until he
had a chance to research it.

In April, more than four months after his arrest, Cheeks pleaded guilty to
possession with intent to distribute cocaine, said Thom Mrozek, a spokesman
for the U.S. attorney's office in Los Angeles. Mrozek said Cheeks had been
under surveillance for drug trafficking but would not comment on the extent
of Cheeks' activities and other details of the investigation.

According to the plea agreement, Cheeks went to the Ontario Best Western
Motel with 10.9 pounds of cocaine to sell to a drug courier. The female
courier had flown into Los Angeles International Airport before going to
Ontario, Mrozek said.

Cheeks accompanied the woman to Ontario International Airport to ensure her
safe departure with the cocaine, according to the plea agreement. Federal
agents arrested the woman and seized the cocaine from her luggage when she
arrived in Chicago, Mrozek said.

Mrozek said he did not know the extent to which Cheeks helped the courier
at the airport, but that it did not involve using his Southwest Airlines
security access.

The plea agreement calls for a sentence of five years and 10 months to
seven years and three months in prison if he has no criminal history,
Mrozek said. If one is found, the sentence could be as high as 13 years, he
said.

Bangs said a prison sentence would end Cheeks' job, and he would be unable
to get his security clearance back.

It's possible that Cheeks might be eligible for probation, Mrozek said.

In May, Cheeks was given a citizen achievement award at the annual Ontario
Police Department recognition luncheon for stopping a a man from being beaten.

Cheeks' defense attorney, Duane Dade, said Wednesday his client pleaded
guilty because "he felt it was in his best interest."

"This is aberrant behavior," Dade said. "This was a mistake done by this
young man. He had no record at all, he ran into some financial difficulty,
and he had a lapse in judgment. He made a bad decision and he is willing to
pay for what he did."

Dade said his client was not making a lot of money from drug dealing, and
only made $10 or $11 an hour from his job with Southwest Airlines, where he
has worked for 13 years. He said the family suffered financial hardship
when his wife, who made more than he did, lost her job.

"What's breaking his heart is his son. He's just asking, 'How do I face my
son.' " Dade said.

Bangs said the case against Cheeks was made as part of an airport drug task
force involving the Drug Enforcement Administration. It includes airport
and Ontario police and the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department, he said.

A year ago, a ground handler at the airport was arrested for shipping drugs
on planes, Bangs said. Three weeks ago, three people were arrested for
having large amounts of drugs in their luggage, he said.