Yukari Miyamae, 61, in an undated booking photo.
Yukari Miyamae resisted a pat-down with a tactile act of her own.
Last week, while traveling from Phoenix to her home in Colorado, the 61-year-old refused to go through the standard Transportation Security Administration screening procedure at Sky Harbor International Airport. After getting into a heated argument with officers, Miyamae allegedly grabbed the left breast of a TSA agent with both hands.
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According to the police report, Miyamae, a self-employed businesswoman, groped agent Barbara O’Toole through her clothing. She is accused of “squeezing and twisting it with both hands without the victim’s permission.” Phoenix police said Miyamae admitted to the groping but resisted arrest.
No reports indicate what propelled Miyamae to fondle a uniformed agent, but it’s safe to say she was fed up with the security procedures that many have deemed invasive and a personal violation. Critics who loathe “enhanced” security screenings are applauding Miyamae online for giving the TSA a taste of its own medicine.
Mihayae was released from Maricopa County Jail on July 15 and now faces a felony count of sexual abuse. She has become a Facebook darling, with pages on how to support her. A member of the group “Acquit Yukari Mihayae” even dubbed the traveler “a modern-day Rosa Parks.”
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