A couple from Connecticut who were apprehended for engaging in a sexual act in front of children on a JetBlue flight have had the criminal charges against them dismissed in Florida. Trista L. Reilly, 43, and Christopher D. Arnold, 42, were taken into custody in July after their flight landed in Florida from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport. The duo, residents of Danbury, had been charged with two counts of lewd and lascivious behavior in the presence of minors, a felony offense in the state of Florida. However, authorities in Florida decided to drop the charges last week for undisclosed reasons, as reported by The Mercury News.
According to court documents, a mother traveling with her two children on JetBlue Flight 163 on July 19 alerted a flight attendant after witnessing Ms. Reilly lying face down on Mr. Arnold’s lap. The crew then alerted law enforcement authorities. The couple was taken into custody shortly after the plane landed at 11:30 a.m. and were later released on their own recognizance. They entered a plea of not guilty in August.
In response to the incident, JetBlue condemned the behavior as “completely unacceptable” and stated that it would not be tolerated by the airline. The company promptly engaged its security team and law enforcement upon receiving the report. JetBlue affirmed full cooperation with the investigation and declared that the couple involved would no longer be welcome to fly with the airline.
In a separate incident, police swarmed a plane after discovering a threatening note in the aircraft’s lavatory. The Frontier Airlines flight, en route from Denver, Colorado, to Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, landed safely in Dallas following the discovery. Frontier Airlines confirmed that the threat was deemed non-credible and that the aircraft was cleared to taxi to the terminal for passengers to disembark.