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Siskiyou County sheriff ordered off plane

REDDING, Calif. (AP) The Siskiyou County Sheriff was ordered off a San Francisco-bound United Express flight before it left Redding on Monday.

Sheriff Charlie Byrd, 54, was asked to leave because he was belligerent and frightened passengers, said Sabrena Suite, spokeswoman for SkyWest Airlines, which operates some United Express flights on the West Coast.

The veteran sheriff is seeking re-election to his fifth term in November.

Suite said Byrd ``said some very profane things'' when a security guard announced he had been randomly selected for further security checks.

Byrd said the incident was prompted by ``some type of misunderstanding on the part of airport personnel.''

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