A man arguing with his girlfriend on a flight said she had a bomb, then doubled down on the fake threat — landing himself a prison sentence, federal prosecutors announced July 18.
Evan Sims made nearby passengers uncomfortable with his comments before the Breeze Airways plane took off from Orlando, Florida, bound for Providence, Rhode Island, on Dec. 5, according to prosecutors.
Sims, 41, of Rhode Island, was overheard telling his girlfriend he hadn’t heard of Breeze Airways, “that he hoped the airplane did not ‘go down’” and that “they would be ‘gone with the wind,’” prosecutors said.
The woman told him “their relationship was over” and he “needed to leave her alone,” according to a criminal complaint, which says she later told investigators that he poured a drink on her.
As flight attendants briefed the passengers on safety measures, Sims said he needed to use the plane’s emergency doors and that “he hoped they did not have to use the windows,” prosecutors said.
He also asked the flight crew about an emergency life raft, according to prosecutors, who said his girlfriend asked him to stop speaking.
After the flight took off, Sims got up while the plane was ascending, saying he “wanted to get off,” prosecutors said.
In the air, he accused his girlfriend of having a bomb twice, according to prosecutors.
The flight was diverted to Jacksonville and made an emergency landing as a result, Breeze Airways spokesperson Gareth Edmondson-Jones previously told McClatchy News.
No bomb was found after bomb detection dogs were used to search the plane, according to prosecutors.
The sentence
Sims was sentenced to two years in prison on charges of false information and threats, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida said in a news release.
His court-appointed public defender, Waffa Hanania, declined McClatchy News’ request for comment.
When he was sentenced, Sims apologized to his family , passengers on the flight and the airline, saying he drank too much, First Coast News reported.
He was ordered to pay $25,478 in restitution to Breeze Airways as part of his sentence, prosecutors said.
The airline didn’t immediately respond to McClatchy News’ request for comment on July 18.
‘Horrified by his behavior’
After the flight was diverted to Jacksonville, Sims told federal authorities that his comments on the flight “were misconstrued” and that “he was making ‘jokes’ about the airplane ‘going down,’’’ according to the criminal complaint.
“Sims said he is a nervous flier and really wanted to get off the plane because (his girlfriend) broke up with him and he did not want to fly up to Rhode Island anymore,” the criminal complaint says.
He denied making a bomb threat and said he might’ve said the word “bomb” by accident, according to the criminal complaint.
In a sentencing memorandum, Hanania wrote that alcohol had a role in his actions on Dec. 5, arguing that he “would not have acted out in the aircraft” if he and his girlfriend had “not stopped at the airport bar while waiting to embark.”
“Sims clearly accepts responsibility in this case. Once sober, he was horrified by his behavior,” Hanania wrote, asking the court to sentence him to time served.
Sims has been in custody since he was arrested Dec. 6, according to prosecutors, and pleaded guilty on March 5.
His sentence will be followed by three years of supervised release, prosecutors said.
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