Woman bypasses TSA, boards plane at Nashville airport

A 24-year-old woman is facing criminal charges after Metro police say she bypassed Transportation Security Administration security without being screened and boarded a plane at the Nashville International Airport.

Naja Eva Haynes of Oak Grove, Ky., is facing misdemeanor charges of an airport and aircraft security violation and resisting arrest in connection with the March 24 incident.

According to an arrest affidavit, Hayes drove her car to the airport, parked and walked inside the terminal. She then walked through lane four of the airport's TSA security checkpoint without being screened.

From there she went to Gate B5, boarded a Delta airlines plane without identification and sat down in a seat in the back of the plane, the affidavit continues.

Delta airlines spokesman Morgan Durrant said Haynes was able to access the Boeing 737 because she pushed passed several airline agents to get on board.

When approached by a gate agent, police say Haynes refused to provide identification.

When police officers arrived, she again refused to provide ID and said, "My name and faith are my ID," the affidavit states.

After Haynes refused to vacate the seat, the affidavit continues, officers handcuffed her and forcibly removed her from the plane.

A TSA spokesman said Monday that its office opened an investigation after the incident and placed an employee on non-screening duty pending final determination of the investigation.

That employee, the spokesman said, has since resigned.

"TSA is taking this incident seriously and will retrain employees as necessary to ensure compliance with standard operating procedures," the statement continues.

Haynes was due in Davidson County General Sessions court Monday for a hearing on the matter, but the case was postponed until later in the week, a court clerk said.

As of Monday, she remained free on $3,000 bond.

Reach Natalie Neysa Alund at 615-259-8072. Follow her on Twitter @nataliealund.