A Detroit man is facing federal charges after he allegedly drunkenly propositioned two flight attendants twice to join the “rock-high club” with him on his first flight, federal prosecutors said.
James Finnister, 47, grabbed one of the flight attendants and laid on the floor of the plane after he was moved for the third time due to his “disruptive and intimidating behavior,” on a Spirit Airlines flight from Louisville, Kentucky, to Orlando, Florida, on Tuesday, the lawsuit claims. criminal complaint.
“The flight attendants had to stop service and pick Finnister off the floor,” the complaint states.
Finnister told authorities he took “multiple shots of alcohol to calm his nerves before the flight, which he stated was the first,” according to the complaint.
He was arrested on one count of interfering with a flight crew member, a charge that carries a prison sentence of up to 20 years.
Hours after he was released on Wednesday, Finnister told The Daily Beast that the accusations were “false,” and insisted he had slept on most of the two-hour flight.
A Detroit man faces federal charges after he allegedly drunkenly propositioned two flight attendants twice to join a “rock-high club” during his flight. Reuters
Finnister, who said he got drunk before boarding to ease his nervousness about flying for the first time, remembers the flight differently than federal prosecutors.
“When I first walked on the plane, I made a joke—I said, ‘Is this one of those mile-high flights?’” Finnister told the outlet. “They laughed and sat me down by the window, [because] it was my first time flying… I talked to the father and son next to me. We took off, I saw clouds, and I fell asleep for two hours.”
Complaints against him paint a much different picture.
“[A]about an hour into the flight, James Warren Finnister asked the lead flight attendant if he wanted to join the ‘mile-high club,’” the complaint states. “Finnister was originally assigned to 18D, but never sat in the chair. At the time of this interaction with the lead flight attendant, Finnister was reassigned to 22A, which is a window seat.”
The incident happened on a Spirit flight from Louisville, Kentucky to Orlando, Florida last Tuesday. Christopher Sadowski
Finnister is also accused of “intentionally grabbing a female flight attendant on Spirit Airlines Flight 693 in flight, pulling her to her seat, and asking if she wanted to join the ‘high rock club,’ interfering with her ability to perform her duties,” according to the complaint.
He also allegedly asked the flight attendant several questions about the plane’s cockpit that “concerned him,” the complaint alleges.
At that point, Finnister allegedly lay down in the aisle, disrupting in-flight service and forcing a flight attendant to pick him up, according to the complaint.
The rowdy passenger said he did not recall taking any of the actions alleged in the complaint. Christopher Sadowski
Finnister told the outlet that he did not recall making any complaints, which were filed on Wednesday.
The first-time pilot also insisted he did not put his hands on any of the flight attendants, and had asked questions about the cockpit out of curiosity.
“I asked about the cockpit, like, is this the cockpit here? I’ve never been in an airplane, I wanted to look around,” he said. “So they took me to jail. The charges were so bogus. They really didn’t have any payment.”
Finnister appeared in Orlando federal court Wednesday afternoon and was released pending trial. He is prohibited from drinking alcohol and must undergo regular drug tests.
His travels are also limited to the state of Michigan, his home state, and the Central District of Florida
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
