Oshkosh Paper Publishes Wagstaff Arrest Reports
Just when you thought
the dust had cleared surrounding aerobatic ace
Patty Wagstaff's unfortunate brush with the law at last year's
AirVenture, a whole slew of new details has emerged.
In response to an open records request by The Oshkosh
Northwestern, the Winnebago County District Attorney's office has
made the police reports of Wagstaff's July 31 arrest public.
The reports made by officers that arrested and processed
Wagstaff paint a picture of an intoxicated, stubborn individual who
was verbally abusive and physically uncooperative.
Accounts of the incident describe a belligerent Wagstaff,
refusing to comply with booking procedures and lacing her slurred
speech with profanity and demeaning, rude remarks.
Wagstaff admitted Friday she "probably did use a few choice
words" during her booking "because I'm not used to being treated
that way," and felt the officers went overboard.
"I don't think they gave me a chance. They didn't offer me a
field sobriety test," she said. "They were just real excited when
they got there and I never understood why."
"I made a mistake and got on the runway. But we had all the
credentials," Wagstaff said, adding that airshow performers are
frequently provided with vehicles and driving passes to get to
their planes. "It's totally normal. It's expected. It's another
part of what's so bizarre about the whole thing."
EAA spokesman Dick Knapinski said Wagstaff has accepted the
invitation to return to AirVenture in 2009 and is excited about
performing again. "Everyone in Oshkosh has been so wonderful,"
Wagstaff said. "The people in stores, restaurants and everywhere
couldn't be nicer. It was another reason the whole incident was so
shocking to me. The people there are the nicest in the world."
Another curious aspect of the tale is the timing of
the Northwestern's records request. One might wonder, apart
from satisfying idle curiosity, just what purpose can it serve after Wagstaff's court case is already a
done deal?
Since the matter has been dragged up again, though, there are a
few points that have not yet been made public... Cirrus's Alan
Klapmeier reported, on the record, that he saw no evidence of
alcoholic issues when he talked directly to Wagstaff some fifteen
minutes before the arrest, while attending the Gathering of
Eagles, an EAA Young Eagle benefit event. Klapmeier, when
asked for comment on the Northwestern story, noted that he was
"disappointed that only one side of the story has come out."
Further; while the LEO statements were made public, none of
the statements made by those in the car with her (during the
altercation) seems to have come to light... yet.
ANN tried to contact Patty to get her side of the story, but
she's currently out of the country. Stay tuned.
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