A couple from Connecticut who were arrested for engaging in a sexual act in front of children on a JetBlue flight have had criminal charges against them dropped in Florida. Trista L. Reilly, 43, and Christopher D. Arnold, 42, were apprehended in Florida after their flight from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport. They were initially charged with two counts of lewd and lascivious behavior in the presence of minors, a felony in Florida.
The charges were dismissed by Florida authorities last week without revealing the reasons behind their decision. According to court documents, a mother traveling with her two children on JetBlue Flight 163 reported seeing Ms. Reilly lying face down on Mr. Arnold’s lap, leading the crew to involve law enforcement.
The couple was taken into custody shortly after the flight landed, as reported by ABC affiliate WWSB. They were released on bail and entered a plea of not guilty in August. JetBlue condemned the incident, stating that such behavior is intolerable and promptly engaged their security team and law enforcement upon receiving the report. The airline confirmed that the individuals involved are prohibited from flying JetBlue in the future.
In a separate incident, authorities responded to a threatening note found on a Frontier Airlines flight traveling from Denver, Colorado, to Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas. The aircraft landed safely in Dallas, and law enforcement determined the threat to be non-credible. Frontier Airlines assured that the safety of passengers was their top priority and that the aircraft was cleared for passengers to disembark.