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Guns, Betty White & Mr. Rogers: Man's airport rant, behavior, land him behind bars

Posted at 10:05 PM, May 22, 2017
and last updated 2017-05-23 08:37:45-04

An Estero man was arrested at Southwest Florida International Airport after Port Authorities say he was disruptive and talked about guns and explosives at TSA.

Lawrence Cerrato, 51, was charged with Breach of Peace. He first harassed members of the cleaning crew. When officers tried to speak with him, he became loud and disruptive. One witness said while in TSA screening, he was throwing himself on the ground and had spoken about guns and explosives.

"It strikes fear in all the hearts of the people here," Denny Bowers of Cape Coral said after his flight from Indiana.

"Flying in general is a risk you're taking," Erin Dibble, traveling to Dallas, Texas, said. "When you're flying, you want to make sure all the passengers around you are calm."

Cerrato was taken into custody, and on the way to jail, authorities said he rambled on, saying "he wanted to sell his apartment in Gateway to Betty White and needed to get the windows tinted." He also said "I wonder what Mr. Rogers' confirmed kills were in World War II, you know, like Mr. Rogers from Mr. Rogers Neighborhood."

"That's not a normal thing to say at all. Mr. Rogers isn't associated with World War II, he's associated with friendliness," Emma Dibble, traveling to Dallas, Texas, said.

"Sounds like he needs some help. The boy's got a problem," Bowers said.

"It makes me feel better about my flight today and the fact that the police were able to handle that efficiently," Emma Dibble said.

Cerrato is due in court on June 6th.