Posted on 05/04/2007 7:51:59 AM PDT by Froufrou
A California man who prosecutors said got a little too friendly with his girlfriend during a flight was convicted Thursday of interfering with flight attendants and crew members.
Carl William Persing and his girlfriend were seen "embracing, kissing and acting in a manner that made other passengers uncomfortable" during the September flight from Los Angeles to Raleigh, according to a criminal complaint.
Persing twice threatened a flight attendant who told the couple to stop and refused to serve them alcohol, prosecutors said. The FBI met the couple when the plane landed in Raleigh.
Persing, 41, will probably serve jail time for the federal felony conviction, Assistant U.S. Attorney John Bowler said. He was convicted after a three-day trial in U.S. District Court in Wilmington.
Defense attorney Deb Newton said her client will appeal.
"He's devastated," Newton said, adding that he was defending his right to be left alone.
Charges against girlfriend Dawn Elizabeth Sewell, who was accused of assisting Persing, were dropped this week.
Mile high club membership revoked ping...
Well he didn’t join the mile high club- but he’s going to prison, so there may be another club he can join.
I hope his time in the clink helps him reevaluate how he treats the "little people."
While this guy sounds like a jackass, these laws are on the books to assist flight attendants in deterring terrorists, not to help mend hurt feelings caused by an idiot who had too much to drink. If there was any jail time involved, as someone else suggested, this guy will win his appeal.
Until we see a picture of the girl, it's going to be difficult to decide if he's guilty of any crime.
He’s learned the hard way that flight crews aren’t little people.
Fly the friendly skies and try the friendly thighs.
This must be one of the top 10 most stupid statements from an attorney.
If this is the same case I heard of, then "acting in a manner that made other passengers uncomfortable" was a lot more than embracing and kissing. Another article described it as "His face was in her crotch, face down. She was giggling and obviously enjoying what was going on."
Hey, get a room, ya jerks!
Should have taken a lesson from the queen of mean, Leona Helmsley!
All he had to say is that this is required by the Koran.
Another overreaction by the brownshirts at airports and on planes. This guy was obviously a jerk, but the fact is, these laws - designed to deter terrorists - are being used unfairly against ordinary citizens.
Bwahahahahaha...poetic justice....
Great job FBI! Tell me again how long Zack Moosoui’s laptop sat in your offices while you went looking for a search warrant?
Well, okay, so it’s unlikely he was going to bob-for-apples-from her crotch and extract a bomb.
“Hes learned the hard way that flight crews arent little people.”
No, all of us passengers are, now. Actually it’s a good day when you get treated like “little people” while flying. It’s usually more akin to how you’d transport cattle.
LOL!
They should have just poured cold water on the couple.
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