The JetBlue Airways Corp. flight attendant whose job-quitting meltdown landed him in court avoided jail time in a plea deal Tuesday that requires him to undergo counseling and treatment for a least a year.
Steven Slater spoke politely and calmly as he entered a guilty plea to a charge of second-degree attempted criminal mischief, a felony, and a lesser charge of fourth-degree attempted criminal mischief.
He admitted he deployed the emergency slide Aug. 9 on a JetBlue flight from Pittsburgh after it landed at Kennedy International Airport. Slater went on the public-address system, swore at a passenger who he claimed treated him rudely, grabbed a beer and slid to the tarmac.
“At the end of the day, I’m a grown-up and I must take responsibility for my actions,” Slater said outside court. He thanked his attorney, prosecutors, his mother and his partner.
Associated Press
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