ATLANTA - Ed Wall, board chairman of the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority, has been arrested after an undercover police officer said he saw him performing sex acts in an airport bathroom with a man he met over the Internet.
Wall, 43, and the other man were engaging in oral sex in a handicapped bathroom stall Tuesday at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, police said. But they left the door slightly ajar, allowing the undercover officer to see them.
Police say the other man is Michael Pettry, 25, of Indianapolis. The two met through a Web site and arranged to meet at the airport, police said.
Both Wall and Pettry have been charged with public indecency.
Wall's lawyer, Steve Sadow, said Wall has been "falsely accused."
"He is innocent and did not commit any crime," Sadow said. "This false and malicious allegation is a direct affront to chairman Wall's good reputation, and he intends to vigorously defend himself in the court of law and the court of public opinion."
The arrest could be a setback for MARTA, the often embattled transit system that has seen some good news lately. The authority has posted an operating surplus for the first time in a decade and is rolling out a new fare system and fleet of refurbished rail cars.
"It's just disappointing," said Ernie Brooks, president of MARTA's employee union. "It's a bad reflection on MARTA leadership for sure. It seems like it's two steps forward and three back" for the transit system.
MARTA officials sent an e-mail to Wall's fellow board members late Wednesday informing them of the arrest and Wall's claim of innocence.
Wall, who is married with three children, was appointed to MARTA's board in 2002 and is in his second year as board chairman.
from 11 Alive
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