ST. LOUIS (AP) - An affidavit filed in federal court in St. Louis alleges that an Illinois man tried to open the door of a passenger jet to commit suicide.
Thirty-four-year-old Reynel Alcaide of Burbank, Ill., faces federal charges, including interfering with a flight crew, for the incident on May 8. Alcaide was on a Continental Airlines flight from Houston to Chicago when he allegedly got up and tried to open the jet door. The flight was diverted to St. Louis.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that during a hearing on Monday, a federal prosecutor said Alcaide had tried to commit suicide before.
A judge postponed a decision on setting bail and ordered a psychiatric exam. Alcaide's attorney, public defender Felicia Jones, asked that he be treated in a hospital setting rather than jail.
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Information from: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, http://www.stltoday.com