Watertown Man Charged with Disrupting Flight to Amsterdam
| U.S. Attorney’s Office December 15, 2011 |
BOSTON—A Watertown man was charged this week with disrupting an Amsterdam bound flight from Boston’s Logan International Airport, last month.
In a criminal complaint issued on Dec. 12, Kurt Haberstroh, 20, was charged with interfering with the performance of duties of a flight crew member or flight attendant. He is scheduled to appear in federal court for a probable cause hearing on Jan. 5, 2012.
The federal complaint alleges that on Nov. 17, 2011, Haberstroh boarded Delta Airlines Flight 230 for Amsterdam at Logan Airport. During the flight, Haberstroh allegedly physically attacked his traveling companion, yelling profanities, insulting the flight crew, and failed to obey the directions of the flight crew. Haberstroh was taken into custody by federal agents traveling on the same flight. Upon landing in Amsterdam, Haberstroh was denied entry into the Netherlands and was returned to the U.S.
He was arrested on Monday, following the issuance of the federal criminal complaint. He was held in federal custody overnight, and released on Tuesday after a hearing before a federal magistrate judge in Boston. Haberstroh has been ordered to undergo random drug testing, surrender his passport, avoid contact with any potential witness in the case, and reside with one of his parents. Haberstroh is also restricted from taking commercial flights.
United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz; Richard DesLauriers, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Federal-Boston Field Division; and Timothy O’Connor, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Air Marshal Service made the announcement. If convicted, Haberstroh faces up to 20 years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David G. Tobin of Ortiz’s Major Crimes Unit.
The details contained in the criminal complaint are allegations. The defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.