DENVER – A Cañon City man was arrested and charged with a federal count of interfering with a flight crew after he allegedly refused to wear a mask and urinated in his seat while on a flight from Seattle to Denver on Tuesday.
Landon Perry Grier, 24, made his initial appearance in the U.S. District Court of Colorado Thursday on the charge. He was released after the hearing on pre-trial supervision conditions.
According to an affidavit, Grier was told eight to 10 times by a flight attendant to wear a mask in accordance with Alaska Airlines policies, but he swatted at the flight attendant’s arm several times in protest.
Later in the flight, a passenger called flight attendants to report that Grier was urinating in his seat. The affidavit states that he had his penis out of his pants and had to be told to sit down by another flight attendant, who reported the incident to the captain of the plane.
At the same time, according to the affidavit, the plane experienced a mechanical issue while flying over the Rockies and experiencing turbulence, forcing the plan to make an emergency landing.
“[The captain] stated the passenger disruption occurred during a high work load environment while they were descending over the mountains in turbulent conditions,” the affidavit says. “The disruption caused the pilot crew to divert attention from their emergency landing operation.”
When an FBI agent interviewed Grier after the plane landed at Denver International Airport, Grier said he had been returning from work at a gold mine in Alaska and that he had several alcoholic drinks at the airport in Seattle before boarding the plane. He also said he had taken a pain reliever and that he did not recall hitting the flight attendant or urinating inside the plane’s cabin.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado, the count Grier faces carries a potential penalty of up to 20 years in prison and/or a fine of up to $250,000.