Cañon City man charged after refusing to wear a mask, hitting a flight attendant, and urinating in his seat

DENVER, Colo. (KRDO) -- A Cañon City man has been charged with interfering with a flight crew on a plane from Seattle to Denver.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Colorado, Landon Perry Grier, 24, was a passenger on Alaska Airlines flight 1474 on March 9. He was asked to put on a face mask eight to ten times, as required by airline policy.

Investigators say Grier initially ignored the flight attendant before striking her in the arm.

Later, passengers notified a different flight attendant that Grier was urinating in his seat. A flight attendant notified the captain, who was already preparing to land after declaring an emergency for an unrelated maintenance issue.

According to the Attorney's Office, interfering with a flight crew carries a potential penalty of up to 20 years in prison and/or a fine of up to $25,000.

Grier made his first appearance in federal court in Denver on March 11. There he was advised of the charge against him and was released on pretrial supervision.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation along with assistance from the Denver Police Department.