U.S. resident was headed to Costa Rica with wife for anniversary
A man whose drunken behavior on board a Delta Airlines flight forced the plane to divert to the Cayman Islands pleaded guilty Tuesday to drunkenness and acting in a disruptive manner aboard an aircraft.
Magistrate Grace Donalds imposed a fine of $500 for disruptive behavior on Michael Scott Foret, 33, of Louisiana, USA, noting that, from the details she was given, that appeared to be the more serious of the two charges.
The charges were brought under the Air Navigation (Overseas Territories) Order 2001. The offenses occurred on board Delta flight 901 while the aircraft was over the territorial waters of the Cayman Islands on its way to Costa Rica.
The magistrate asked about penalties for the offenses.
Crown Counsel Candia James said there was no provision for a sentence of imprisonment for the particular sections under which Foret had been charged. The maximum fine was £2,500 (CI$3,409).
Ms. James said the defendant and his wife were in Atlanta, Georgia, where they were to have boarded a 9:45 a.m. flight, but they arrived late. They were then rescheduled for a 5:30 p.m. flight. During the delay, they both were drinking alcohol. On the flight, Foret consumed tequila and vodka from bottles he had purchased prior to the flight.
Ms. James said Foret and his wife got into a fight and began arguing loudly. The wife moved to another seat. Foret went to the restroom and while inside was continually pushing the emergency button and banging on the walls.
When flight attendant Karen Stewart opened the door, she noted that he appeared very drunk. He was abusive toward her.
Passenger Rick Hubbard witnessed the attendant trying to calm him down. He also reported in his statement to Cayman police that Foret’s behavior was so disturbing that another passenger became nervous and began to hyperventilate.
Off-duty police officer James Lee of Fulton County, Georgia, assisted the attendant in getting Foret to his seat and then sat with Foret.
Meanwhile, the pilot, Capt. David Merriwether, announced over the public address system that they were diverting to Grand Cayman because of a problem with a passenger.
At 7:25 p.m. local time, Cayman officers entered the plane and arrested Foret. He was taken to the police station and placed in a detention area to sober up.
Defense attorney Ben Tonner asked the court to give his client credit for his guilty pleas and cooperation. He said Foret wanted to apologize to the airline, the airline staff and passengers aboard the flight.
Foret had no previous convictions anywhere, Mr. Tonner said. “Now he has a record and an extremely angry wife waiting for him in Costa Rica.”
The attorney explained that the couple were celebrating their anniversary with a planned month-long vacation in Costa Rica. Earlier reports had described the couple as newlyweds on their honeymoon.
Now, after his court appearance, Foret was to be escorted by police to the airport, where he would be put on a plane to the U.S. at his own expense.
The magistrate thanked Foret for his apology. She imposed no separate penalty for drunkenness aboard an aircraft. If the fine were not paid, Foret would have to serve 10 days in lieu. However, outside court, there was discussion about taking him to a bank.
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