The man convicted of assaulting a deaf passenger on an airplane bound for Dulles International Airport has been sentenced to prison.
Everett Chad Nelson, 44, was sentenced by a federal judge on Tuesday (Sept. 2) to two-and-a-half years behind bars, though he will receive credit for time served, court documents said.
In February, the Stafford resident was convicted on two different assault charges stemming from the incident, which took place aboard a United Airlines flight last October.
Nelson approached the deaf, sleeping passenger “without provocation” and “began brutally punching the passenger in the face,” according to federal prosecutors.
“Nelson punched the victim repeatedly and rapidly, using both hands, and landing forceful, violent blows on the victim’s cheeks, nose, and forehead,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia said.
It is unclear what exactly triggered the attack. The victim was seated 20 rows ahead of Nelson’s assigned seat, prosecutors said.
Nelson was ultimately restrained by another passenger who intervened and was taken into custody by the FBI after the plane arrived at Dulles.
According to court documents, U.S. District Court Judge Leonie M. Brinkema recommended that Nelson serve his sentence at the Federal Medical Center in Butner, a federal prison in North Carolina that houses inmates with health issues.
Any medical concerns that Nelson has are publicly unknown. In February, Brinkema granted a motion that ordered Nelson to undergo a psychiatric exam.
An attorney representing Nelson filed an appeal of his sentencing on Thursday (Sept. 4), Patch reported.
