Gotta love the plea bargain. It’s how a person goes from facing felony charges to serving a year of probation.
In the case of JetBlue attendant Steven Slater, it was really no surprise. His case was a textbook example of a situation where a plea bargain was likely. He did something foolish and no one was hurt, though someone could have been. Slater was looking at serious charges, including a felony, after he pulled the emergency chute on an August 9th JetBlue flight from Pittsburgh to New York. Slater had an altercation with a passenger after the plane landed at John F. Kennedy International Airport.
After the altercation, Slater swore at the passenger over the public address system, grabbed a beer for the road, popped open the emergency chute and slid away to a fleeting moment of freedom and excitement.
“At the end of the day, I’m a grown-up and I must take responsibility for my actions … I am very grateful to the court for making these arrangements,” said Slater.
It’s another example of the difference that quality representation can make in a criminal case. The prosecution has a huge incentive to negotiate, as it does not have the time to try even a small percentage of the cases that come in. The defense has an incentive as well: avoiding the uncertainty of a jury trial and the harsh penalties that would result from a conviction. In the end, with a plea deal, ideally both parties walk away satisfied.
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