An Army recruiting officer from Montana was charged this week with felony counts of allegedly assaulting two police officer as they tried to remove him from a connecting flight at Denver International Airport on April 8.
The flight from Denver to Casper, Wyo., was delayed two hours by the fracas after Thaddeus Rule, 31, of Glendive, Mont., refused requests to get off the Skywest flight because of his disruptive behavior as the plane prepared to depart, prosecutors said.
Airline officials said Rule refused to get off his cell phone and said he would not accept the responsibility of sitting on an exit row.
Rule and both officers were treated for injuries as the scuffle spilled down a flight of stairs from the plane to the ground.
“Rule was eventually handcuffed with assistance from a pilot and passengers and was taken into custody,” according to a media release from the Denver District Attorney’s Office.
He was released on $3,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in Denver County Court on May 5.
