"Lambert Field contract worker arrested in what boss says may bepayback"

Thursday, March 15, 2007

Airport contract worker arrested in Kinloch in what boss says may be payback
By Patrick M. O'Connell
THE ST. LOUIS (MO) POST-DISPATCH


***Kinloch* — A man hired to clean up illegal dumping on Lambert Field 
property in Kinloch was arrested in what his boss suspects was payback 
for the arrest of an honorary Kinloch officer at the airport last month.

Randall Fechter, who owns GPM Inc., said there was never a problem in 11 
years of contract work to mow grass and haul trash for the St. Louis 
Airport Authority — until March 6.

That's when a worker, Jesus Flores, 24, was arrested by Kinloch Police 
Chief Don Hardy and accused of illegal dumping and driving a dump truck 
without a proper license, Fechter said.

Gerald Slay, deputy director of the airport, said, "We were a little bit 
surprised that the police had decided to arrest our guy who was trying 
to clean up the neighborhood."
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Flores had to post a $750 bond, Fechter said, adding, "They treated him 
like a violent criminal."

Fechter said he talked with Hardy for "about 10 seconds," and that the 
chief said the tickets would be dropped and that it was just "a 
misunderstanding."

But Fechter said his attorney told him the tickets are still active and 
that Flores' court date is still scheduled for April 10. Fechter said 
Hardy will not now return his calls.

Hardy did answer a reporter's call Wednesday, saying, "I don't have no 
side to give you. Whatever you heard is whatever you heard." When 
pressed for more explanation, he hung up.

On Feb. 22, airport police arrested James F. Chester, 59, after security 
screeners found him carrying a loaded pistol. Chester produced a Kinloch 
police ID but was charged with unlawful use of a weapon and 
impersonation after a check of state records showed he was not a real 
officer. Airport police said Hardy told them Chester was an honorary 
officer.

"I have the sense that something is going on that I don't know about," 
Fechter said. "The entire thing didn't make sense."

He said GPM will fulfill its contract work on the airport's 100 acres in 
Kinloch, even though "we definitely have a feeling that we will be 
harassed more."
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