Steven Slater, the former JetBlue flight attendant who exited his job by pulling the emergency slide on an aircraft last month, is fighting for a plea deal. Slater is a recovering alcoholic, who is also HIV positive, and has been taking care of his sick mother—she told the Daily News, "I certainly don't want him to go to jail. If he could get some counseling instead, that would be terrific. He's a busy boy. But he takes care of his dear old mom."
Slater was charged with trespassing, reckless endangerment and criminal mischief, and will be back in court on October 19th, where he'll face Queens District Attorney Richard Brown, who told the press, "I have said from the beginning that I've been very much troubled by the fact that both the defendant and the media have been trivializing that which occurred. Deploying an emergency escape chute on an aircraft filled with passengers is no laughing matter."
Brown says they are evaluating alternative sentences for Slater, however, which would keep him out of jail. He noted that option is usually reserved for people with mental or substance abuse issues and added that he believes Slater is "indeed taking it more seriously than he has in the past."
