Rowdy Korean Air passenger’s prison sentence reversed ADVERTISING Rowdy Korean Air passenger’s prison sentence reversed HAGATNA, Guam (AP) — A U.S. appeals court struck down the three-year prison sentence of a rowdy Korean Air passenger convicted of interfering with flight
Rowdy Korean Air passenger’s prison sentence reversed
HAGATNA, Guam (AP) — A U.S. appeals court struck down the three-year prison sentence of a rowdy Korean Air passenger convicted of interfering with flight attendants last year on a flight to Guam.
The judge who issued the sentence against dentist Kwon Woo Sung failed to use federal guidelines as a starting point for determining his prison term, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said Monday. A three-judge panel of the court sent the case back to Chief Judge Frances Tydingco-Gatewood in Guam for resentencing.
Kwon pleaded guilty to one count of interference with flight attendants after officials said he drank several beers and became combative during the April 2016 flight.
The dentist was accused of fighting with passengers and was subdued and tied down until the jet arrived in Guam, where he was heading on vacation.
Kwon appealed the sentence that included credit for time served under house arrest.
Federal sentencing guidelines are intended to alleviate disparities in prison terms between defendants for similar crimes. Though they are advisory, they should form the initial benchmark for any sentencing determination, the 9th Circuit said. The guidelines called for a sentence of up to six months for Kwon, according to the 9th Circuit.
Tydingco-Gatewood instead said she was throwing out the sentencing guidelines, and her initial thought was to sentence Kwon to 10 years in prison, the 9th Circuit said.
Hawaii reef a ‘hope spot’ for ocean health
WAILUKU, Maui (AP) — The reef at Olowalu is the largest and best developed off Maui, and it is a spawning ground that has helped populate reefs around the Hawaiian Islands.
But decades of runoff and recent coral bleaching events have taken their toll on the sprawling marine hub.
The Olowalu reef was designated Thursday as a Mission Blue Hope Spot. The reef is the first in the state to receive the title.
Mission Blue founder and oceanographer Sylvia Earle created the designation with the hopes of bringing awareness and support to places Mission Blue deems “critical to the health of the ocean.”
California-based Mission Blue works to promote ocean exploration and research and protect marine life.
Mark Deakos, executive director and chief scientist of the Hawaii Association for Marine Education and Research, kick-started Olowalu’s push for “hope spot” recognition.
“… It’s a very unique place, and we’re very excited about all these groups coming together … ,” Deakos said Thursday.
