Las Vegas Sun

November 24, 2009

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Passenger on Vegas flight sentenced to prison for assaulting flight attendants

Tuesday, July 15, 1997 | 10:42 a.m.

Lionell Rutherford admitted that he yelled obscenities and threw his soft drink at flight attendants when they splashed him with water while serving drinks on a Sun Country Airlines flight from Las Vegas to Cleveland on Sept. 9. He also acknowledged that he grabbed and pushed the arm of an attendant.

The pilot considered landing early to remove Rutherford but continued flying after Rutherford calmed down, authorities said.

Rutherford was arrested when he stepped off the airplane in Cleveland. He pleaded guilty April 30.

U.S. District Judge Patricia Gaughan on Tuesday also sentenced Rutherford, 23, of Cleveland, to two years probation and ordered him to begin his sentence Aug. 11.

Court officials said Rutherford could have received 10 months in prison under a plea agreement. The federal charge carries a possible penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Rutherford could not be reached to comment. There is no phone listing under his name in Cleveland.

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