Airline passenger restrained, arrested in NC

CHARLOTTE -- Authorities say a flight crew used duct tape to restrain an unruly passenger on a flight from Puerto Rico to Chicago. The Charlotte Observer reported Wednesday that the FBI said the woman slapped a crew member on the buttocks and pulled a blind passenger's hair. The flight was diverted Saturday to Charlotte, where the passenger fought with police officers who came aboard the plane. FBI Agent Peter Carricato said the passenger also used profanity and was touching and jabbing other passengers. Authorities said 45-year-old Maria Esther Castillo of Oswego, N.Y., has been charged with resisting arrest and interfering with the operations of a flight crew. She faces a detention hearing on Thursday. (Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)