PHILADELPHIA - A Penn State University associate sociology professor says she doesn't know why her onboard speech about U.S.-Venezuela relations got her pulled off a flight in Miami.
Authorities say 52-year-old Karen Halnon, who lives outside Philadelphia, is facing disorderly conduct and breach of peace charges for going on a rant and lighting a cigarette during a flight from Nicaragua to Miami on Saturday.
A passenger caught the rant on video. It shows Halnon lighting a cigarette and blaming it on another passenger. Flight attendants requested that police meet the flight in Miami, where Halnon was taken into custody.
In a lengthy email she sent after her return to Pennsylvania, Halnon alleged she was mistreated. She says all she did was speak out against U.S. treatment of Venezuela.
