Lawyer disputes claims of 'overt sexual activity' on plane

[madmusic]

LAKEWOOD, Calif. The attorney for a Lakewood man who's accused of what authorities call "overt sexual activity" on a flight to Raleigh, North Carolina, actually was just not feeling well.
Lawyer Deb Newton says Carl Warren Persing laid his head on his girlfriend's lap because he was drowsy. Newton says the gesture was misinterpreted by a flight attendant, who then humiliated and harassed the couple. Newton says the one witness she talked to disputes almost everything in the government's affidavit, as does Persing. She expects the charges will be dismissed.

Persing and Dawn Elizabeth Sewell are charged in federal court with interfering with flight crew members stemming from their September 15th Southwest Airlines flight from Los Angeles with a stop in Phoenix.

Court documents say when a flight attendant asked the couple to stop their public displays of affection, they initially obeyed but resumed the behavior shortly thereafter.

http://news.google.com/nwshp?oe=UTF-8&tab=wn&ned=us&topic=n

Isn't "interfering with flight crew members" a terrorist law?

[sniffa]

1. as Long as there was no breast feeding

then what's the probLem?

[madmusic]

2. Breast feeding terrorists?

It is simply amazing the perks they sneak into bills at the last minute.

[zreosumgame]

3. funny that flight attendants now feel the need to lie as much as cops do

[Demeter]

5. And to Be So In Your Face Ugly, Too

[madmusic]

6. That would make a good thread in its own right...

Who has become deputized and informally recruited into law enforcement?

[Ian David]

4. "Gee, I know the overhead oxygen masks aren't supposed to fully inflate...

but they never told me they were warm and furry."

[DaveJ]

7. Can carry a 20-year prison sentence

interfering with a flight attendant, a crime that can carry a 20-year prison sentence. I have to admit PDAs can be annoying but that sentence seems steep. Having to go to court at all for it seems ridiculous.

Here's a longer article: http://www.dailybreeze.com/news/articles/4651071.html?page=1&c=y

[madmusic]

8. Too much!

The real crime, in essence, is making people feel "uncomfortable," including the flight attendant. 20 years for that?

Delaying the speedy delivery of sodas to passengers is hardly a terrorist threat. Give the government more power for legitimate reasons and it will abuse it every time. This was a anti-terrorist law, not an anti-uncomfortable law.

Unbelievable.

Thanks for the details. Something that seemed humorous is now much more than that.

[SoCalDem]

9. "Sewell was observed smiling."..That's IT.. Give them the chair

If he had his head up her skirt, that's one thing, but sheez louise..

[madmusic]

10. The evidence is overwhelming. A guilty smile.

There ought to be a law... Oh, wait, there is.