A 49-year-old Utah telecommunications executive has been charged with a felony count of endangering public transportation after allegedly telling a airline agent he had a bomb in his baggage.
Sergei Berejnoi, of Sandy, Utah, allegedly became upset on Oct. 31 when he arrived for his Skywest flight from Denver International Airport to Salt Lake City.
After being advised by the agent that the flight had left, Berejnoi told the agent there was a bomb in his luggage. The plane was immediately stopped and held up for an hour while the cargo hold was searched by a K-9 unit, according to the Denver district attorney’s office.
No explosives were found.
According to a Skywest spokesman there were approximately 50 passengers on the plane.
A person found guilty of endangering public transportation can receive a maximum penalty of 12 years in prison and a $750,000 fine.
Berejnoi was released on a $15,000 bond. He is scheduled to appear in Denver County Court on Monday to be advised of the charge.
Howard Pankratz: 303-954-1939 or hpankratz@denverpost.com.
