Flight attendant held without bond after disrupting flight

CHARLOTTE, N.C., Dec. 2 (UPI) -- A flight attendant accused of violent and erratic behavior that disrupted an international flight was ordered held without bond pending a hearing.

Joanne Snow, an American Airlines flight attendant, is accused of interfering with the flight crew and assaulting a federal air marshal during a flight from Charlotte, N.C., to Frankfurt, Germany, on Nov. 23.

In a written air marshal's affidavit, Snow's behavior was described as so erratic that her fellow crew members wanted her removed from the flight before it took off. However, American Airlines management chose not to do so.

Snow was disruptive on both legs of the flight to and from Germany. She slapped a co-worker, and as the plane taxied for takeoff from Frankfurt, she tried to open the doors of the plane. When the plane landed in Charlotte, Snow was shouting as she tried to bypass the passport control area and kicked the marshal multiple times as he took her into custody, court documents said.

After her arrest, Snow was taken to Carolinas Medical Center and later transferred to Rowan Medical Center. She was then taken to the Mecklenburg County Jail, where she is being held until her next court appearance Friday.

She was agitated and unruly in a courtroom Tuesday, arguing with her lawyer and the judge. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Savage requested she be held without bond because she is a risk to herself and to the public. Snow's attorney, Elizabeth Blackwood, asked she be released to her adult children in New Hampshire, where she could be monitored.

If convicted, she could be fined $500,000 and sentenced to more than 25 years in prison.