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Drunk Plane Pisser Was Drunk Before He Got On Plane
By
Jen Chung
Published Aug 13, 2011
Modified Aug 13, 2011
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via USSKITEAM.com
By
Jen Chung
Published Aug 13, 2011
Modified Aug 13, 2011
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The saga of the 18-year-old who, during a drunken stupor, then urinated on the 12-year-old girl on his flight continues. Robert "Sandy" Vietze was hit with a federal indecent-exposure charge. The charges detail that he was drinking before he ever got to Portland International Airport (therefore JetBlue did not serve an underage passenger!).
When the plane landed at JFK Airport, Vietze was removed by Port Authority cops. According to the Post, a Port Authority detective said, "Vietze reported that prior to his flight he was at a bar, not at the airport, and drank five, six beers and two rum-and-cokes. Vietze remembers boarding the flight and later passing out. Vietze reported that alcohol 'hit' him during the flight. The next thing he remembers is being yelled at by the girl's father." Vietz apparently claimed it was an accident (some accident!) but the girl's father, reportedly a Stage 4 cancer survivor who was naturally furious, described Vietze as "out of it."
A Port Authority spokeswoman explains, "He was intoxicated and was charged, as it's against the law to pee on another person." For what it's worth, the girl's father refused to file criminal charges, lest he drag his daughter through more trauma. A federal indecent exposure conviction could mean up to a year in prison.
Vietze is a top-ranked young skier, but he was thrown off the U.S. ski team's development squad in the wake of the scandal; the group issued a statement, "Based on the information we have, Sandy Vietze is in violation of the USSA code of conduct and team agreement, and has been dismissed from the team." Here's video of him wiping out at Sugarbush:
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Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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