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A passenger on an Alaska Airlines flight faces federal charges of interference after they repeatedly attempted to open the cockpit door earlier this month.
On March 3rd, Nathan Jones, a 19-year-old student pilot, was taken into custody for causing disturbances on flight 322 from San Diego to Washington Dulles International Airport. He disrupted the cross-country trip on three separate occasions.
Last week, a Virginia district court received a criminal complaint from federal air marshal Thomas Pattinson.
Based on the written statement, Jones repeatedly left his seat in 6E and tried to make his way to the cockpit during the five-hour flight.
According to the complaint, Jones stated he was “testing” the cabin crew when asked why he needed to access the cockpit.
Jones was held in flex cuffs by fellow passengers, who included off-duty law enforcement officers. They also placed a beverage cart to block access to the locked-down cockpit for the rest of the flight.
Jones has been prohibited from traveling with Alaska Airlines due to the passenger’s actions of “appearing disoriented” while attempting to access the cockpit in a peaceful manner.
The plane arrived at Dulles on time without any incidents or injuries.
Jones’ attorney, Robert Lee Jenkins, submitted a motion on Wednesday to request a hearing to evaluate mental competence.
Jenkins told CBS News: “The allegations are completely inconsistent with the life he has lived. He is a young man without any history of criminal conduct or violence.
At this point, we are greatly concerned about his emotional well-being and are taking steps to meet his needs. We believe that ultimately it will be apparent that Mr. Jones did not have any intention to cause harm or make threats to anyone.
Anne Zalewski, a therapist, provided a letter stating that Jones exhibited symptoms of a severe mental illness while in jail and requires hospital-level treatment to stabilize his current mental state.
A court hearing has been scheduled for March 18. If found guilty of interfering with a flight, Jones could potentially receive a sentence of up to 20 years in jail.
Source: independent.co.uk
