Passenger indicted on interfering with flight attendant and assault

A woman who had been accused of hitting a JetBlue flight attendant was indicted on Monday on a second charge, involving an assault on another employee.

The indictment against passenger Christina Elizabeth Szele formalizes assault charges and a charge of interference with a flight attendant that had been previously filed.

Szele, 35, was originally charged on June 18 after allegedly refusing to extinguish a cigarette she was smoking on the plane. Accusations include breaking the restraints that had been used to control her, and also hitting a flight attendant the face. Szele also allegedly assaulted a second attendant, who had been asked to sit next to her for the duration of the flight.

The JetBlue flight was forced to make an alternate landing at the Denver International Airport. It was on route from California to New York.

Szele, a New York resident, was freed on $10,000 bond. She is not allowed to travel by air, according to restrictions that are part of the bond. To attend future court dates, she will need to travel to Denver by bus or car.

If she is convicted of interference with a member of the flight crew, she could face up to 10 years in a federal prison, and a fine of up to $250,000. If she is convicted of assault, she faces up to six months incarceration and a fine of up to $10,000, for each of the two charges.

Her arraignment is scheduled for July 11 in the U.S. District Court in Denver.

www.jetblue.com