United Airlines flight UA728 from Newark to Miami had to be diverted Wednesday to Charleston International Airport, where police arrested a man who had assaulted other passengers on the flight – apparently for trying to bite another in the ear.
John Yurkovich, 45, was arrested and charged with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine after police found a quantity of the white crystalline substance in his pocket. An officer wrote in the police report that Jurkovic had 1.5 grams of the substance on him, which tested positive for methamphetamine.
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When officers arrived on the scene, Jurkovic was already lying face down on the ground and had his hands tied behind his back with zippers and a belt, according to the report.
Yurkovich’s unfortunate cellmate told police that the man got up during the flight to go to the bathroom, returned after a break and looked very agitated, WCSC reported. Soon he became agitated and began bouncing in his chair.
After asking the flight attendant for a glass of water, Mr. Jurkovic stood up and took the pills out of the luggage compartment of his carry-on. When he sat back down, he started screaming and floundering. At that moment, his cellmate raised his hand in defense, which apparently angered Yurkovich even more. He then struck the victim with a closed fist, broke his glasses and tried to bite off his ear. Fortunately, the victim escaped with only a graze.
Some witnesses tried to subdue the attacker, who injured several other passengers before finally being subdued, striking one of them in the head and possibly breaking the nose of another. One of the witnesses, who identified himself as a doctor, told officers that he injected Benadyl into Jurkovic’s buttocks to eventually put him to sleep.
When Yurkovich appeared in court yesterday, he was prepared to challenge the meth charge by providing an alternative explanation. That’s not what they say. It’s a special kind of… It’s a cat tranquilizer. That’s not what they’re saying, Yurkovich said.
Not convinced, the judge set his bail at $50,000.
At the last count, Mr. Jurkovic was still being held at the Al Cannon Detention Center and was facing other FBI charges.
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