What did Lawrence Russell Jr do? American Delta Pilot arrested for drinking alcohol sentenced to 10 months in Scottish prison

Lawrence Russell Jr, a 63-year-old Delta Pilot arrested last year for showing up drunk on a flight from Edinburgh International Airport to New York City's JFK International Airport, was sentenced to 10 months in jail by a Scottish court.

According to a sentencing statement released by the Judiciary of Scotland on March 19, 2024, the incident occurred on June 16, 2023. In the statement, Sheriff Alison Stirling said on March 5, 2024, Russell, an American citizen from Georgia, pled guilty to reporting for duty as a pilot at Edinburgh Airport while exceeding the prescribed blood alcohol limit.

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Delta Pilot Lawrence Russell Jr had twice the legal alcohol limit

In a statement, Sheriff Alison Stirling from the Judiciary of Scotland said that on June 16, 2023, Delta pilot Lawrence Russell Jr was reporting for duty at Edinburgh International Airport as captain for a Boeing 767 aircraft scheduled to depart for New York JFK airport. During a security check, a bag in a tray sent for X-ray screening was rejected by the X-ray machine due to the volume of liquids within it.

When the bag was searched, officials reportedly found two bottles of Jägermeister, one of which was open and missing half its contents. The statement said police were contacted as Lawrence Russell was reporting to duty as a pilot in uniform.

The statement revealed that upon questioning, Russell admitted the bottle was his but denied drinking it recently and alleged he consumed the alcohol the previous evening. The pilot who refused a blood test at the scene was then arrested and taken to Livingston Police Office, where he provided a sample of blood that showed levels “twice the legal alcohol limit for pilots.”

The statement from the Judiciary of Scotland revealed the Delta pilot had two prior convictions for driving while under the influence of alcohol in the United States. Stirling also said Russell checked himself into the Talbott Recovery Skyline Program after the incident and was diagnosed with Severe Alcohol Use Disorder. Consequently, the sentence was reduced from 15 months to 10 months.

However, Sterling noted punishment was necessary as the pilot endangered the lives of the public by consuming alcohol while on duty.

“Your offense showed a high level of culpability and a high potential for serious harm to have been done. In particular, you were to be the captain on that flight; you had a half-full bottle of Jägermeister with you, and the flight had to be canceled.”

The statement said Delta pilot Lawrence Rusell lost his job at the Airlines and was on disability following his arrest for the incident.

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