Flight Attendant Gone Wild Faces Criminal Charges

As reported by ABC News, flight attendant Steven Slater, 38, of Queens, New York, has been charged with criminal mischief and reckless endangerment.  The case, while under investigation, is being referred to the Queens District Attorney's office.

Slater, a career flight attendant with allegedly 28 years of service, reached his threshold during JetBlue flight 1052 from Pittsburgh arriving at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport on August 9 when he got into an altercation with a passenger over luggage.

After the plane had landed, and was taxiing to the gate, a female passenger reportedly removed her seatbelt, got out of her seat, and began to retrieve a bag from one of the overhead compartments.

Slater approached the passenger and asked her to return to her seat.  At that point the two began to argue, and in the confusion, Slater was struck in the head by either the baggage or the compartment door.

Passengers then witnessed Slater using the plane's loudspeaker to yell expletives geared to "all passengers" in the cabin, take a beer from the galley, deploy the emergency chute and then run into the terminal.  He got his car from an employee parking lot and drove to his Belle Harbor, Queens home.

Television broadcasts show a handcuffed Slater smiling as he was led away by police.   His cavalier attitude has been garnering attention from people that have now elevated him to folk hero status. A sign outside of Slater's home simply reads, "Hero." He has thousands of supporters on a Facebook page.

Slater was released from jail on August 10 after posting his $2,500 bail per CBS News.  

More information has come to light regarding what happened on the flight.  It is now being reported that two passengers were arguing about overhead luggage space and Slater had to intervene.

Slater's court-appointed attorney, Howard Turman, has stated in response, "They were shoving the luggage around. He came over to assist. She started cursing."

Then, after landing, the female passenger allegedly cursed at Slater when he had asked her to remain in her seat while the plane taxied to the gate.  Then, when Slater used the loudspeaker, he didn't just curse back, he also quit his job.

The district attorney has stated that Slater's deployment of the powerful evacuation chute could have injured, or even killed, members of the ground crew.

JetBlue refused to comment on how long Slater had been employed by them but his public profile on the networking site LinkedIn said he'd been a flight attendant since 1994, at that time for Business Express.  He also listed employment with TWA, Delta, and as a shop manager in Bloomingdale's for Burberry accessories. 

At JetBlue, again according to LinkedIn, Slater is a member of the "inflight values committee" and is the chairman of the "uniform redesign committee."

Slater is facing up to seven years in prison if convicted. 

If you have been charged in a criminal case, contact a criminal defense attorney to provide yourself with the defense you need.