By Travis Gettys
The Cincinnati Enquirer

BURLINGTON - A man's refusal to submit to heightened airport security already cost him time in jail, and now it has cost him money.

Jeremy Johnson of Turlock, Calif., was ordered Friday to pay $140,000 to Bob Walker, an airport police officer at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. Johnson is on probation after serving 120 days in jail.

Walker sued Johnson for injuries, including a torn knee ligament he received during an April 12, 2002 altercation.

"It just shows that we're going to protect those who protect us," said Phil Taliaferro III, Walker's attorney.

Johnson was convicted last year of assault, criminal mischief and disorderly conduct for the incident, which occurred seven months after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and after the arrest of Richard Reid, the so-called "shoe bomber."

In the wake of those events, airline passengers were required to undergo rigorous scrutiny, including removing their shoes.

Johnson became upset at this request and tried to punch a security employee.

"Any other person who traveled through the airport understood the need for increased security," said Linda Tally Smith, Boone County commonwealth's attorney.

Taliaferro praised the airport security personnel who subdued Johnson, saying they did so without using Mace.

"They couldn't safely do that without injuring other people," he said.

Johnson's attorneys argued that he suffers from intermittent explosive disorder, causing him to lose control of aggressive impulses.

"He just has a short fuse," Tally Smith said. "If somebody suffers from such a condition, maybe they shouldn't go out in public."

E-mail tgettys@enquirer.com