US Airways denied serving alcohol to the 19-year-old son of U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, and the grandson of former presidential candidate Ron Paul, who was arrested Saturday morning at Charlotte Douglas International Airport.
Police said William Hilton Paul, of Bowling Green, Ky., was traveling early Saturday from Lexington, Ky., to Charlotte.
When the plane landed about 10:49 a.m., Paul was charged with consuming beer/wine underage, disorderly conduct and being intoxicated and disruptive.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Lt. Blake Hollar said the teen was possibly served alcohol on the plane, but a US Airways spokesman said Monday that wasn’t the case.
“It is important to note that William Hilton Paul was not served alcohol onboard his US Airways flight from Lexington to Charlotte this past Saturday,” said Todd Lehmacher, via email.
Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office show Paul was booked into the county jail about 8:45 p.m. Saturday and released about 2 1/2 hours later under $750 bond.
His first court appearance is scheduled for 1 p.m. Tuesday.
Rand Paul’s office issued a brief statement: “Sen. Paul is a national public figure and subject to scrutiny in the public arena. However, as many parents with teenagers would understand, his family should be afforded the privacy and respect they deserve in a situation such as this.”
- Staff writer Ely Portillo contributed
