7th trial delay has been granted for flight attendant accused of bogus bomb threats

By Blake Nicholson
Associated Press

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A federal judge in North Dakota has granted a seventh trial delay for a flight attendant accused of disrupting SkyWest flights with bogus bomb threats last year.

Justin Cox-Sever was to stand trial next week — a year after his original trial was scheduled. Federal prosecutors said in court documents that they needed more time to work with their counterparts in Virginia, where the Arizona man also faces charges. They also said ongoing protests against the Dakota Access oil pipeline in North Dakota are “consuming significant time and attention.”

Police have made nearly 575 arrests since August during protests of the $3.8 billion pipeline to carry North Dakota oil to a shipping point in Illinois. Opponents worry it could harm the environment and threatens tribal artifacts.
Chris Myers, the U.S. attorney for North Dakota, declined to say how many cases the federal court system is handling, but one large-profile case of a woman accused of shooting at officers during a violent clash was recently transferred from state court to federal court.

Cox-Sever, of Tempe, Arizona, is accused of fabricating bomb threats on a July 2015 flight from Charlottesville, Virginia, to Chicago, and on a September 2015 flight from Minneapolis to Dickinson, North Dakota. The first plane turned around mid-flight, and the second incident resulted in the temporary shutdown of the Dickinson airport.

U.S. District Judge Daniel Hovland has moved the trial to Jan. 31, 2017.

Cox-Sever could face up to 40 years in prison if convicted, though prosecutors have told The Associated Press that a plea deal is possible and Cox-Sever’s defense attorney has said that all options are on the table.

Cox-Sever is no longer employed by SkyWest. The airline won’t say whether he quit or was fired.