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Country Singer Gretchen Wilson Arrested for 'Belligerent' Behavior Midflight

Aug. 22, 2018
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2 min read
during IEBA 2017 Conference on October 17, 2017 in Nashville, Tennessee.
Country Singer Gretchen Wilson Arrested for 'Belligerent' Behavior Midflight
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Country singer Gretchen Wilson was arrested Tuesday night at Connecticut's Bradley International Airport (BDL) for belligerent behavior toward fellow passengers and flight crew on board a plane from Washington, DC (DCA).

Country singer Gretchen Wilson was arrested by Connecticut State Police Tuesday night for belligerent behavior onboard a flight. Photo by Connecticut State Police via AP.

Fellow passengers said that the initial cause of Wilson's unruly behavior stemmed from a dispute with another passenger over the plane's lone bathroom. Wilson, who allegedly was flying first class, became annoyed at how long the other traveler was taking. When the other passenger finally swung open the door, almost hitting Wilson, the two women exchanged words and eventually got into a shoving match, according to eyewitnesses, who told TMZ that Wilson kept looking down the aisle at the passenger and exchanging threatening hand gestures, despite repeated warnings from flight attendants.

An American Airlines spokesperson tells TPG that Wilson was on its regional subsidiary PSA flight 5148, which arrived into BDL at 7:00pm and was operated by a CRJ-700 jet, which has one lone lavatory toward the back of the plane.

"American contacted law enforcement to meet PSA 5148 on Aug. 21 due to an altercation between two passengers," the spokesperson confirmed to TPG.

When state troopers met Wilson on the tarmac, she allegedly threw her hands up in the air and demanded to be arrested. Per her request, she was arrested for second-degree breach of peace, with bond was set at $1,000. Wilson was originally scheduled to appear in Enfield Superior Court Wednesday before her performance at the Mohegan Sun Casino, located about 60 miles southeast of Bradley International Airport. However, the court date has been rescheduled for September.

This isn't Wilson's first instance of bad behavior in the skies. In 2007, Wilson was issued an in-flight citation for mouthing off to the flight crew, who had asked her to put her dog back in its carrier case.

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Wilson is best known for her Grammy-winning hit single, "Redneck Woman."

Featured image by Terry Wyatt

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