MARTA board chairman accused of sex acts in airport bathroom

<p>Ed Wall, board chairman of the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority, has been arrested after an undercover police officer said he saw him performing sex acts in an airport bathroom with a man he met over the Internet.</p><p>Wall, 43, and the other man were engaging in oral sex in a handicapped bathroom stall Tuesday at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, police said. But they left the door slightly ajar, allowing the undercover officer to see them.</p><p>Police say the other man is Michael Pettry, 25, of Indianapolis. The two met through a Web site and arranged to meet at the airport, police said.</p><p>Both Wall and Pettry have been charged with public indecency.</p><p>Wall's lawyer, Steve Sadow, said Wall has been "falsely accused."</p><p>"He is innocent and did not commit any crime," Sadow said. "This false and malicious allegation is a direct affront to chairman Wall's good reputation, and he intends to vigorously defend himself in the court of law and the court of public opinion."</p><p>The arrest could be a setback for MARTA, the often embattled transit system that has seen some good news lately. The authority has posted an operating surplus for the first time in a decade and is rolling out a new fare system and fleet of refurbished rail cars.</p><p>"It's just disappointing," said Ernie Brooks, president of MARTA's employee union. "It's a bad reflection on MARTA leadership for sure. It seems like it's two steps forward and three back" for the transit system.</p><p>MARTA officials sent an e-mail to Wall's fellow board members late Wednesday informing them of the arrest and Wall's claim of innocence.</p><p>Wall, who is married with three children, was appointed to MARTA's board in 2002 and is in his second year as board chairman.</p><p>___</p><p>On the Net:</p><p>HASH(0x1cdc1b0)</p><p>___</p><p>HASH(0x1cdc30c)</p>