SAN FRANCISCO Fine, probation for wild airliner incident Henry K. Lee Wednesday, July 2, 2008
A woman has pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault in connection with an incident on a San Francisco-bound plane during which she yelled and cursed at her fiance and passengers and had to be restrained, court records show.
Anne-Marie Kivinen, 38, was sentenced Monday to two years of probation for assaulting a flight attendant last week aboard a Virgin Atlantic flight that originated in London. She had originally been charged with interference with a flight crew, which is a felony.
At a hearing in San Francisco, U.S. Magistrate Bernard Zimmerman also fined her $1,000. As part of the terms of her probation, Kivinen cannot drink if she flies in the United States on a commercial airliner.
The incident happened June 23, when Kivinen was restrained after screaming, cursing, kicking and head-butting her fiance, who was attempting to calm her after she began screaming at another passenger, according to an affidavit by FBI Special Agent Peter Adduci.
About 45 minutes after being restrained, she managed to get her hands and feet free and intentionally stepped on and ground her foot on the hand of a flight attendant who was trying to resecure her, authorities said.