Sheriff David Clarke takes down drunk and aggressive passenger on NC-bound flight

By M.D. Kittle

David Clarke Jr. has earned a national reputation as a tough law-and-order sheriff.

He appears to have cemented that reputation Saturday after he says he personally handcuffed a belligerent passenger on a truly awful flight.

The Milwaukee County sheriff tells Wisconsin Watchdog he grew tired of an intoxicated and abusive passenger and took matters into his own hands during the two-hour flight from Milwaukee to Charlotte, N.C.

Preston Bluntson, 36, of Milwaukee, was arrested and booked by Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department around 7:10 p.m. Eastern Time, shortly after the small plane touched down, police told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Contrary to the story, Clarke said Preston did not “berate” him throughout the flight.

“It wasn’t toward me, he was harassing other passengers and flight crew the entire 2 hour flight,” Clarke wrote in an email to Wisconsin Watchdog Sunday. “If it had been directed at me I would have kicked his ass.”

>The Journal Sentinel quoted an unidentified passenger who said Bluntson became increasingly loud and obnoxious, “directing many of his comments at Clarke.” The sheriff was seated at the back of the small plane.

“The guy was very abusive,” the passenger told the newspaper. “Probably the last 20 minutes it really escalated and focused on Clarke.”

Clarke did confirm that Bluntson, who is black, repeatedly used a racial slur as he screamed at the sheriff.

“After I pinned him across the seats to maintain control he said…’Oh you’re one of those kind of niggers,’” Clarke said in the email.

The sheriff, who also is black, said about mid-flight he had to intervene because Bluntson was “giving the flight attendant a hard time.”

“He stopped, sensing I wasn’t playing around. I thought that would take care of it but it did not,” Clarke said.

“He got out of his seat as the plane approached the runway on landing,” he continued. “That was enough for me. As the wheels touched down I got up pushed him him back into his seat as he tried to get up again and I pinned him down until cops boarded. I yelled for the Sgt and said give me your handcuffs and I cuffed him.”

Once inside the terminal, Clarke said Bluntson continued to “be an ass” to police officers.

Clarke’s actions were not noted in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel account. Instead, the story notes that a “number of people tried to engage Bluntson – who appeared to be drinking throughout the flight – and to get him to calm down but without success.” The passenger interviewed by the Journal Sentinel said Clarke responded only once, telling the man to “shut up.” The newspaper said it could not reach the sheriff for comment.

“In all my years flying, I’ve never seen anything like it,” the unidentified passenger said. “The sheriff handled himself extremely well. It could have gotten a lot worse because the guy was not backing down.”

Clarke wasn’t, either.

The sheriff was on his way to New Hampshire to speak at the Cheshire County Annual Republican Shoot on Sunday.

“Question I have is, why no air marshal on that flight? That program is a joke,” said Clarke, who also has earned reputation as a straight shooter. “Very few marshals ride planes. Not good.”

Read more at Watchdog.org.