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SkyWest pilot takes jarring ride in stolen plane

July 18, 2012 RSS Feed Print

"Aviation security is not a one size fits all process," Castelveter said.

Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers of Alabama, chairman of the Subcommittee on Transportation Security, said the Utah incident "shows major security weaknesses at our airports that need to be addressed."

"We have been pushing TSA to do a much better job overall of working with its partners, including airport authorities, to improve security," Rogers said in a statement Wednesday. "American taxpayers deserve better and have a right to be outraged at this."

One aviation security expert said it might be time to revisit protocols aimed at securing airport perimeters.

"Maybe we need to implement some more levels of perimeter security because any type of security incident like this is a lesson to both the good guys and the bad guys. They read the papers just as much as we do," said Jeff Price, an aviation professor at the Metropolitan State University of Denver and former assistant security director at Denver International Airport.

Hedglin was wanted in the death of his of his girlfriend and fellow Colorado National Guard member, Christina Cornejo, in Colorado Springs, Colo. Her body was found July 13. Authorities said she had been stabbed multiple times. Hedglin was the key suspect but had not been charged.

The Gazette of Colorado Springs, citing court records, reported Hedglin dated Cornejo for four years and was arrested in March after he was accused of harassing her.

The records show that a restraining order was issued against Hedglin, and he was set for trial in August. He was released on $10,000 bond.

Attorney Steven Rodemer, who represented Hedglin in that case, said he was facing misdemeanor charges of criminal mischief, theft and harassment.

Hedglin was a part-time soldier who worked as a cook in the Colorado National Guard.

Cornejo was a full-time soldier who served in the Colorado Army National Guard's 100th Missile Defense Brigade in Colorado Springs. She enlisted in June 2006, became a second lieutenant last year and was named a distinguished honor graduate in two training programs. She had recently begun training as a current operations officer.

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Associated Press writers Holbrook Mohr in Jackson, Miss., and Colleen Slevin and Dan Elliott in Denver contributed to this report.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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