Ticketed Charleston airport visitor has his day in court

The Atlanta man who got the $445 ticket while taking photos of a Boeing plane at Charleston International Airport got his day in court.

Bill Killen, a retired water-bottle company owner, left Magistrate David Coker’s court Thursday after paying a $134 fine for careless driving.

Charleston County Aviation Authority Police Officer Aaron Reed told the judge the ticket was for going the wrong way on International Boulevard while making a U-turn at a stop sign Dec. 2.

Killen said he turned around at the stop sign to circle back and get a better photo of a Dreamlifter sitting behind a fence. The giant plane is a modified 747 cargo jet that Boeing uses to transport 787 Dreamliner parts from suppliers around the world.

Killen told Coker the officer threatened to take his cellphone for taking photos of the plane. The officer said the citation had nothing to do with taking photos. Coker didn’t try to settle that argument, saying he wanted to stick to the alleged driving violation that resulted in the ticket.

Killen also got a $237 citation for not having an up-to-date insurance card handy when he was stopped in December, but that ticket was dropped before Thursday’s court appearance.

“I thought $134 was a pretty good outcome, so I paid it,” he said after the hearing. “I appreciated the judge’s time, and I was happy to have had my say in court.”

Reach Dave Munday at 937-5553 or twitter.com/dmunday.