Federal judge says state cannot prosecute 2 pilots accused of drunkenness

Associated Press
Posted August 5 2003, 12:07 PM EDT

MIAMI -- The state cannot prosecute two America West pilots who were fired after taking the controls of their jet after a night of heavy drinking, a federal judge ruled Tuesday.

State prosecutors must drop charges of drunken operation of a jet against pilot Thomas Cloyd, 45, and co-pilot Christopher Hughes, 42, and cannot take any other action based on their arrests in July 2001, U.S. District Judge Patricia Seitz said.


The decision may mean no criminal prosecution because the pilots' blood-alcohol results were above the state drunkenness standard of 0.08 but below the federal standard of 0.10.

More at:

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-85drunkpilots,0,1439964.story?coll=sfla-home-headlines