PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Kameron C. Stone, 29, of Fairfax, Virginia, pled guilty on Tuesday to interfering with flight crew and assault by striking and wounding in special aircraft jurisdiction. The plea was announced by Jason R. Coody, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
On April 16, 2021, Stone boarded a flight departing from Dulles International Airport in Virginia bound for Pensacola International Airport. During the flight, passengers noticed Stone was behaving obnoxiously and smelled strongly of alcohol. A flight attendant warned Stone on several occasions about his behavior, which included pretending to shoot at passengers, refusing to remain seated or wear a seatbelt, and reaching for the cockpit door. As the flight began its final descent, Stone approached the front of the aircraft and tried to open the cabin and cockpit doors. A flight attendant attempted to prevent Stone from opening the doors and, as a result, Stone pushed her, grabbed her shoulders, and shoved her into the galley wall, injuring her in the process. During the altercation, Stone successfully breached the main cabin door to the external portion of the plane, triggering the alarm and causing the pilots to declare an emergency with the Federal Aviation Administration. The flight attendant prevented Stone from fully opening the door while three passengers, to include an off-duty Deputy United States Marshal, subdued Stone until landing.
Sentencing in this case is currently set for April 28, 2022, at 1:00 p.m., at the United States Courthouse in Pensacola before the Honorable United States District Judge T.K. Wetherell, II. Stone faces a maximum term of 20 years imprisonment.
This case resulted from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer H. Callahan.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access available public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.