Joseph Emerson is set to be arraigned on Thursday. He faces 83 charges of recklessly endangering another person - one for each passenger on the plane - and one charge of endangering an aircraft. He had previously pleaded not guilty to attempted murder charges filed by state prosecutors and a federal charge of interfering with a flight crew.
Emerson's defense lawyers welcomed the grand jury's decision and expressed that the attempted murder charges were unwarranted. They claimed that Captain Emerson had no intentions of harming anyone and only wanted to return home to his family. According to them, he believed he was caught in a dream.
Prosecutors allege that Emerson attempted to cut the engines of a flight from Everett, Washington to San Francisco while sitting in the cockpit as an extra crew member. The plane was ultimately diverted to Portland, where it landed safely with over 80 people on board.
Charging documents reveal that following his arrest, Emerson told Port of Portland police that he had been struggling with depression after the recent death of a friend. He also admitted to consuming psychedelic mushrooms about 48 hours before attempting to sabotage the engines. Furthermore, he claimed to have been awake for more than 40 hours at the time.
Emerson remains in custody in Multnomah County.
