Rochester woman repeatedly breaches airport security, faces new charges

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — On Thursday, Takesha Rogers, 39, of Rochester, was arrested and charged with allegedly entering a restricted area at Frederick Douglass Greater Rochester International Airport. She faces charges of willfully entering an airport area and violating security requirements, which could lead to a maximum penalty of one year in prison.

Rogers made an initial court appearance and remains in custody.

On November 27, 2024, at around 11:30 p.m., Rogers entered a secured area of the Rochester Airport. A Monroe County Sheriff’s Deputy saw her running towards a moving plane. She was taken into custody without incident and after a Mental Hygiene Arrest, was released to Rochester General Hospital for a psychiatric evaluation.

Rogers pleaded guilty on May 5, 2022, to similar charges. She admitted to climbing over a fence and entering the Aircraft Operations Area at the Rochester Airport four times. Rogers was sentenced to time served and one year of supervised release.

In April 2023, Rogers again attempted to bypass security at the airport, leading to a revocation of her supervised release. She was sentenced to one year in prison in Texas in October 2023 and released in July 2024.

News10NBC’s Chief Investigative Reporter Berkeley Brean spoke with the mother of Rogers in July after Rogers disappeared from a bus trip from the prison in Texas to Rochester. Police found Rogers experiencing a mental breakdown in Sulphur Spring and took her to a state hospital outside Dallas for treatment.