ONLY ON 2: Video Shows Former CFD Official Who Sources Said Was Twice Stopped For Boarding Plane For Being Too Drunk -- Once While In Uniform
CHICAGO (CBS) -- We have been asking tough questions about a former high-ranking fire official accused of being so drunk that he was told he couldn't fly.
Sources said he then returned in his uniform, thinking that would help – but it didn't.
As CBS 2's Charlie De Mar reported, we have obtained surveillance video of it all going down. The video was obtained through a Freedom of Information Act Request, but many questions remain -- as a lot of the video is still unseen and has not been turned over.
At 1:44 p.m. the November day it happened, James Corbett - wearing a face covering and a hat - hit turbulence as he tried to board a flight to Florida at Midway International Airport. Sources said Corbett was drunk and was turned away before getting on the plane - and then he became disruptive.
The former district chief of the Safety Division for the Chicago Fire Department was walked out of the airport - flanked by seven police officers.
It remains unclear how the intoxicated CFD official left the airport. We asked.
The Chicago Department of Aviation said they don't have the video.
But Corbett returned to the airport hours later - just before 7 p.m. This time, he was wearing his CFD uniform.
He is seen on video in a white hat and yellow reflective jacket. Sources said he was still drunk as he was denied boarding a second flight.
Officer dispatch Documents from the incident say Corbett was "harassing the employees" and "asking for a list of Southwest Airlines employee names."
The veteran firefighter was seen on video turning towards the exit as airline staff follow behind
Just weeks after the incident, Corbett requested to be demoted back to his former rank of battalion chief. It is unclear what his motivation was, but it is important to note that he is protected by the union after the demotion - something he didn't have in his higher-ranking role.
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