LAS VEGAS (KLAS) A federal judge has ordered the detention of a woman pending trial after prosecutors reported that flight attendants had to restrain her with duct tape during a flight to Las Vegas.
Federal officials arrested Ketty Dilone after the American Airlines flight landed at Harry Reid International Airport on Sept. 16.
Dilone was on a flight from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Las Vegas when witnesses saw her “standing up… walking down the aisle and yelling,” as mentioned in court documents. “About halfway through the flight, a flight attendant noticed Dilone continuously recording the entire airplane. She became increasingly disruptive when asked to stop filming other passengers and flight attendants.”
At one moment, Dilone allegedly threatened several flight attendants, stating something like, “I will kill you [expletive]!” as indicated in court records.
“Dilone also made aggressive postures towards the flight attendants when they attempted to calm her down,” documents said.
The flight crew “physically restrained [Dilone] in her seat with flex cuffs on her wrists and her seat belt,” the documents stated, further adding that a flight attendant secured Dilone in place with duct tape.
“Flight attendants had to rearrange multiple passengers around Dilone and positioned volunteer passengers by [her],” the documents reported. “Moreover, flight attendants had to stand and observe [Dilone] during the airplane’s descent, preventing them from executing their duties to prepare and secure the aircraft for landing.”
On Sept. 18, Magistrate Judge Elayna Youchah ordered Dilone to be detained pending trial.
“The court determines that, given all the presented circumstances – defendant’s recent criminal history, actions on the plane, the recent arrest and allegations in that arrest, and defendant’s behavior in the U.S. Marshals holding facility – no current conditions can be fashioned to reasonably ensure the community’s safety,” the documents concluded.
In the days since Dilone’s arrest, a federal grand jury indicted her on charges of interference with a flight crew and assault.
Dilone was scheduled to appear in court again on Sept. 30.
