HONOLULU (KHON) – A man who pleaded guilty to interfering with flight crew members and assaulting a Hawaiian Airlines flight attendant has been sentenced to serve two years of supervised release and ordered to pay thousands in restitution.
The incident took place on a Hawaiian Airlines flight from Honolulu to Hilo on Sept. 23, 2021.
Steven Sloan, of the Hawaiian island of Molokai, punched the flight attendant in the chest while he was collecting trash from the passengers, according to court documents. Sloan then hit the victim on the back of his head.
After the attack, Sloan was reseated and acted as if nothing had happened. The victim advised the other flight attendants to monitor the aircraft doors in case Sloan attempted to get through, and the captain decided to turn the flight back to Honolulu.
Last year in federal court, prosecutors told the judge that Sloan had been hearing voices for at least two weeks and questioned whether he had the mental competency to proceed with the hearing. The defense argued that Sloan was competent, and the judge agreed.
The maximum penalties Sloan faced for interfering with a flight crew were 20 years in prison, a fine of $250,000 and a term of supervised release of three years. For the assault charge, the maximum penalties he faced were one year in prison, a fine of $100,000, and a term of supervised release of one year.
On Monday, Aug. 15, the judge sentenced Sloan to two years of supervised release for Count 1, and one year for Count 2, to run concurrently. Sloan must pay nearly $6,400 in restitution.
There’s also a list of special conditions that come with Sloan’s supervised release, including having to participate in a substance abuse treatment program and undergoing mental health assessments.
