Man Gets 16 Months for Disrupting Flight
A Riverside County man has been sentenced to 16 months in federal prison for disrupting a United Airlines flight from Honolulu to Los Angeles while under the influence of alcohol.
Michael Lee Poe, 44, of Sun City, admitted consuming half a pint of brandy and a beer before he boarded the overnight flight on Oct. 21, 1997, according to prosecutors.
Although ticketed as a coach passenger, Poe grabbed a seat in first class and cursed at passengers when he was forced to move.
Two hours into the flight, he confronted flight attendants, refused to sit down and shoved the plane’s second officer across an aisle.
Three off-duty Honolulu police officers intervened and forcibly restrained Poe, but one of them was punched in the jaw. The blow cracked his teeth.
In addition to the prison sentence, Poe was ordered to pay a $4,000 fine.
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