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Charges dropped against man who stormed cockpit
SAN FRANCISCO — The case of a Missouri man who stormed an airplane cockpit two years ago ended in a San Francisco federal courtroom.
U.S. District Judge William Alsup signed an order Thursday dismissing all charges against construction contractor Peter Bradley of Blue Springs, Mo., after confirmation he completed a diversion program.
Bradley was accused of breaking into the cockpit of an Alaska Airlines jet on March 16, 2000 and trying to grab the controls. But prosecutors agreed to drop the charges if Bradley completed a program of medical treatment and 200 hours of community service. They said he was suffering from a rare outbreak of encephalitis and did not know what he was doing.
Bradley, 41, faced federal charges of endangering and intimidating flight crew members. If convicted, he could have been sentenced to 10 years.
