A man has been sent to prison for six months after he was found guilty of assaulting a flight attendant on a Southwest Airlines flight to Austin after the passengers were made to wait on the plane because a gate wasn’t immediately available for them to pull up to.
35-year-old Michael Goins, Jr of Spring Hill, was sentenced to the maximum statutory sentence of six months imprisonment for simple assault and ordered to pay $650 in restitution to the flight attendant he assaulted.
U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza for the Western District of Texas said the sentence handed down by Magistrate Judge Susan Hightower reflected “the seriousness of these types of crimes and promotes respect for the law”.
“Airline passengers and employees should be able to travel safely, and this violent behavior cannot be tolerated,” Esparza continued.
The criminal complaint against Goins alleged that he uttered “several expletives” during a cellphone call as they waited for a gate to become available, which was overheard by nearby passengers.
One of those passengers was sitting with their children in earshot of Goins, which led to an “aggressive response” when Goins was challenged.
“During an altercation, Goins intentionally and deliberately pushed his closed fist into a flight attendant’s upper abdomen and pushed her back, causing her pain,” the US Attorney’s Office said in a statement.
About time…
please tell me he has been banned for life from all airlines – ALSO 6-months and $650 is a slap on the wrist.