Northwest Flight Attendant Accused of Drugging Toddler Passenger AMS-DTW
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Northwest Flight Attendant Accused of Drugging Toddler Passenger AMS-DTW
Be careful what goes to the cockpit as well, I would say...
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Attendant is charged with drugging tot
He's suspected of spiking juice of a crying girl during flight
March 14, 2003
BY JIM SCHAEFER AND DAVID ASHENFELTER
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITERS
The apple juice was bitter. Foamy. Blue and white specks floated in it.
So Beate Turner of Oakland County took the juice from her toddler, poured it into another container and carried it off the jet after Northwest Flight 47 landed at Detroit Metro Airport.
That act resulted in criminal charges Thursday, with a former Northwest flight attendant accused of spiking a 19-month-old girl's juice to stop her crying during a flight.
Daniel Reed Cunningham of Ann Arbor is charged with drugging the toddler with a prescription depressant during a flight last August from Amsterdam. The girl drank some of the juice but suffered no serious injury, officials said.
The incident came to light after Turner sipped the apple juice that Cunningham had given her daughter during the Aug. 25 flight. After noticing the taste and appearance, she decided to have the liquid tested.
Ten days after the flight, she took the juice to a laboratory in Novi, which confirmed the presence of Xanax, a prescription medication for panic attacks and anxiety, the FBI said. Cunningham, 33, was charged in U.S. District Court with assault and distributing a controlled substance. He also was charged with importing more than 100 tablets of a non-narcotic controlled substance -- including Valium and Xanax -- into the United States on a different flight in October.
Cunningham could not be reached Thursday but denied drugging the toddler in statements to the FBI. His attorney, Neil Fink of Birmingham, declined to comment.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Cohen and a Northwest Airlines spokeswoman said Cunningham no longer works for the airline, but they would not give details.
Spokeswoman Mary Stanik said Northwest hired Cunningham in 1988. He worked there until last Dec. 30.
Stanik said she could not discuss Cunningham's case.
"Our standard procedures for flight attendants do not include prescribing medication unless it is through the assistance of a physician with our in-flight emergency services," she said.
Turner told FBI special agent Terry Booth that her daughter became restless and began squirming and crying on the flight.
Cunningham appeared to become upset by the girl's crying and told Turner, "This is starting to be a problem," Booth's affidavit says.
Cunningham offered three times to give the girl apple juice before Turner accepted, the affidavit says. When Cunningham placed the cup on a tray, the girl immediately grabbed it and took several sips. Turner said she drank some as well because she was concerned the filled cup would spill.
After becoming suspicious of the juice, she poured it into a sipper cup and saved it.
The testing facility, University Laboratories, detected the Xanax, the affidavit says. Its side effects include drowsiness, fatigue and light-headedness. The Federal Drug Administration hasn't approved the drug for children under 18, the FBI said.
Booth said in his affidavit that the American Hospital Formula Service Information Book has a safety warning about giving the drug to children under 18.
In an interview with the FBI, Cunningham said he had obtained some drugs several months earlier with a doctor's prescription in Bombay, India. Agents found the other drugs in a search of his luggage after another flight from Amsterdam that Cunningham worked on Oct. 13, the affidavit says.
Booth said he advised Cunningham of the benefits of cooperating. Cunningham answered: "Let's suppose I did do it. What can you do for me?"
Cunningham is expected to appear in court next week for arraignment.
http://www.freep.com/news/metro/drug14_20030314.htm
_____________________________________________
Attendant is charged with drugging tot
He's suspected of spiking juice of a crying girl during flight
March 14, 2003
BY JIM SCHAEFER AND DAVID ASHENFELTER
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITERS
The apple juice was bitter. Foamy. Blue and white specks floated in it.
So Beate Turner of Oakland County took the juice from her toddler, poured it into another container and carried it off the jet after Northwest Flight 47 landed at Detroit Metro Airport.
That act resulted in criminal charges Thursday, with a former Northwest flight attendant accused of spiking a 19-month-old girl's juice to stop her crying during a flight.
Daniel Reed Cunningham of Ann Arbor is charged with drugging the toddler with a prescription depressant during a flight last August from Amsterdam. The girl drank some of the juice but suffered no serious injury, officials said.
The incident came to light after Turner sipped the apple juice that Cunningham had given her daughter during the Aug. 25 flight. After noticing the taste and appearance, she decided to have the liquid tested.
Ten days after the flight, she took the juice to a laboratory in Novi, which confirmed the presence of Xanax, a prescription medication for panic attacks and anxiety, the FBI said. Cunningham, 33, was charged in U.S. District Court with assault and distributing a controlled substance. He also was charged with importing more than 100 tablets of a non-narcotic controlled substance -- including Valium and Xanax -- into the United States on a different flight in October.
Cunningham could not be reached Thursday but denied drugging the toddler in statements to the FBI. His attorney, Neil Fink of Birmingham, declined to comment.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Cohen and a Northwest Airlines spokeswoman said Cunningham no longer works for the airline, but they would not give details.
Spokeswoman Mary Stanik said Northwest hired Cunningham in 1988. He worked there until last Dec. 30.
Stanik said she could not discuss Cunningham's case.
"Our standard procedures for flight attendants do not include prescribing medication unless it is through the assistance of a physician with our in-flight emergency services," she said.
Turner told FBI special agent Terry Booth that her daughter became restless and began squirming and crying on the flight.
Cunningham appeared to become upset by the girl's crying and told Turner, "This is starting to be a problem," Booth's affidavit says.
Cunningham offered three times to give the girl apple juice before Turner accepted, the affidavit says. When Cunningham placed the cup on a tray, the girl immediately grabbed it and took several sips. Turner said she drank some as well because she was concerned the filled cup would spill.
After becoming suspicious of the juice, she poured it into a sipper cup and saved it.
The testing facility, University Laboratories, detected the Xanax, the affidavit says. Its side effects include drowsiness, fatigue and light-headedness. The Federal Drug Administration hasn't approved the drug for children under 18, the FBI said.
Booth said in his affidavit that the American Hospital Formula Service Information Book has a safety warning about giving the drug to children under 18.
In an interview with the FBI, Cunningham said he had obtained some drugs several months earlier with a doctor's prescription in Bombay, India. Agents found the other drugs in a search of his luggage after another flight from Amsterdam that Cunningham worked on Oct. 13, the affidavit says.
Booth said he advised Cunningham of the benefits of cooperating. Cunningham answered: "Let's suppose I did do it. What can you do for me?"
Cunningham is expected to appear in court next week for arraignment.
http://www.freep.com/news/metro/drug14_20030314.htm
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You probably misread my post, I said I knew of this practice on adults, I am not encouraging anybody to drug people ! But I think its worst to do that on a child, since side effects can have terrible consequences.
Don't try to make me say what I did not !
Don't try to make me say what I did not !
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I'm sorry to say this story is too "American" to believe...but than again it's probably the only justice system in the world that accepts ( without bribe) 'evidence' ten days after the fact.
off course the mother could not have tampered with the evidence herself???
Believe me i'm not saying that he didn't do it but story is to familiar
by now.......person needs money...finds orange juice that is no good...instead of going to FA seeing $$$$$ings in prospect of 
suing big company. rest is history. 
off course the mother could not have tampered with the evidence herself???
Believe me i'm not saying that he didn't do it but story is to familiar
by now.......person needs money...finds orange juice that is no good...instead of going to FA seeing $$$$$ings in prospect of suing big company. rest is history.
Bluey
I find that quite a worry that criminal charges could be brought against anyone under those circumstances.
If what has been stated here is the truth ....
The sample was ten days old when it was tested.
It had been stored in a non-sterile container.
There was sufficient opportunity for others to have access to the sample.
That's just not good enough.
Please note - I am not condoning the drugging of passengers, nor am I saying that the flight attendant is guilty or not. This post relates only to the flawed nature of the presentation of the "evidence".
If what has been stated here is the truth ....
The sample was ten days old when it was tested.
It had been stored in a non-sterile container.
There was sufficient opportunity for others to have access to the sample.
That's just not good enough.
Please note - I am not condoning the drugging of passengers, nor am I saying that the flight attendant is guilty or not. This post relates only to the flawed nature of the presentation of the "evidence".
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Given the time delay I too am surprised that the juice was admissable as evidence. Surely if she had concerns the correct course of action should have been to alert the Captain.
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The rules of evidence in federal courts are not that loose. Note what he is accused, not convicted. Note he is contesting the accusation of drugging the toddler. They really got him on the importation of quantities of a variety of controlled substances (don't know that these are actually narcotics either) unless his lawyer is a complete clott the drugging the toddler will not stick.
I found Bacardi Dark Rum worked on my daughters gums when teething, but that is as far as I ever got. Her brother liked Jim Beam at the same stage.
I found Bacardi Dark Rum worked on my daughters gums when teething, but that is as far as I ever got. Her brother liked Jim Beam at the same stage.
Everything is under control.
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"Our standard procedures for flight attendants do not include prescribing medication unless it is through the assistance of a physician with our in-flight emergency services."
What about non-standard procedures?
"Cunningham appeared to become upset by the girl's crying and told Turner, "This is starting to be a problem."
Why? Kids cry. Don't let them fly if its that big a deal. That's a management issue. No one can make you upset Mr. Cunningham; those feelings must come from within.
In my view, airlines could reduce crying by giving parents some advice before the flight. For example, kids like apple juice, but the sugar can make them hyper if they get too much, countering the intended calming effect. Some flight attendants are eager to bring cans of apple juice in an attempt to calm a crying child.
Parents can bring a bag of cheap trinkets and toys the child has not seen. (Keep some on the plane?) Pull one out an hour or two at a time. Helps keep them surprised, amused, and occupied.
What about non-standard procedures?
"Cunningham appeared to become upset by the girl's crying and told Turner, "This is starting to be a problem."
Why? Kids cry. Don't let them fly if its that big a deal. That's a management issue. No one can make you upset Mr. Cunningham; those feelings must come from within.
In my view, airlines could reduce crying by giving parents some advice before the flight. For example, kids like apple juice, but the sugar can make them hyper if they get too much, countering the intended calming effect. Some flight attendants are eager to bring cans of apple juice in an attempt to calm a crying child.
Parents can bring a bag of cheap trinkets and toys the child has not seen. (Keep some on the plane?) Pull one out an hour or two at a time. Helps keep them surprised, amused, and occupied.
Gatvol
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Lots of conversation above about did he, or didnt he and if it could be proven.
Either way Northwest is going to pay big time "Go Away" money to avoid a civil Lawsuit.
The fact that the yo yo Stew had previously been nabbed for bringing in Chemicals is not going to sit well in court. I think his only saving grace may be that the stuff he used could have been over the counter medication in Europe, wheras it requires a prescription in the U.S. ,and it was done in International Airspace.
Either way bad judgement enough that he will be a passenger next time he steps on a plane.
Either way Northwest is going to pay big time "Go Away" money to avoid a civil Lawsuit.
The fact that the yo yo Stew had previously been nabbed for bringing in Chemicals is not going to sit well in court. I think his only saving grace may be that the stuff he used could have been over the counter medication in Europe, wheras it requires a prescription in the U.S. ,and it was done in International Airspace.
Either way bad judgement enough that he will be a passenger next time he steps on a plane.
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Chemicals..more like prescription drugs
B Sousa;
It wasn't chemicals he was transporting, more like prescription drugs including Valium and Xanax according to the charges levelled against him.
The one question I would would like to ask (having taken neither medication) is whether Xanax shows up as blue crystals if you put it a drink as the mother claims. If not, the mother could be wrong. If so, why did the Mother see Blue crystals in the toddler's apple juice?
Very Strange !
Thanks
newark
http://news.yahoo.com/fc?tmpl=fc&cid..._and_aerospace
It wasn't chemicals he was transporting, more like prescription drugs including Valium and Xanax according to the charges levelled against him.
The one question I would would like to ask (having taken neither medication) is whether Xanax shows up as blue crystals if you put it a drink as the mother claims. If not, the mother could be wrong. If so, why did the Mother see Blue crystals in the toddler's apple juice?
Very Strange !
Thanks
newark
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Good Day to the CC
As a very protective dad, I read this thread with some concern. There is no universal condemnation of the idea of drugging a difficult 19 month old baby.
Basil, Miserlou and Perf Init find humor or the germ of an acceptable idea in the act, others suggest that the evidence or the "American" judicial system is flawed. The stewards "judgement" is called into question. It is suggested that because the drug in question was an over the counter drug in Europe he may catch a "break". The American justice system as flawed as it is will decide whether this man is guilty or not. However as one person suggested, if he has good lawyer he may get off anyway.
I don't find a unequivocal condemnation of the idea of drugging a baby to keep it quiet on a flight. I suspect there are not many parents among you or they are laying low. No parent would be anything other than outraged at the idea of drugging a child to keep he/she quiet. Where is the outrage of someone even thinking about doing such a thing. Where is the humor in risking a infant's life. The rush is to defend the fellow worker. IMHO the first order of business is to condem the act, THEN you ask for restraint in judging the alleged perpertrator.
Please save the rants about "you don't understand how tough our job is.... etc" We all have tough jobs, we all are expected to do those jobs to the best of our abilities in an ethical and responsable fashion. If you can't meet these minimum expectations, get a paper route.
AS a SLF I will never look at a CC again with the same confidence and respect.
As a very protective dad, I read this thread with some concern. There is no universal condemnation of the idea of drugging a difficult 19 month old baby.
Basil, Miserlou and Perf Init find humor or the germ of an acceptable idea in the act, others suggest that the evidence or the "American" judicial system is flawed. The stewards "judgement" is called into question. It is suggested that because the drug in question was an over the counter drug in Europe he may catch a "break". The American justice system as flawed as it is will decide whether this man is guilty or not. However as one person suggested, if he has good lawyer he may get off anyway.
I don't find a unequivocal condemnation of the idea of drugging a baby to keep it quiet on a flight. I suspect there are not many parents among you or they are laying low. No parent would be anything other than outraged at the idea of drugging a child to keep he/she quiet. Where is the outrage of someone even thinking about doing such a thing. Where is the humor in risking a infant's life. The rush is to defend the fellow worker. IMHO the first order of business is to condem the act, THEN you ask for restraint in judging the alleged perpertrator.
Please save the rants about "you don't understand how tough our job is.... etc" We all have tough jobs, we all are expected to do those jobs to the best of our abilities in an ethical and responsable fashion. If you can't meet these minimum expectations, get a paper route.
AS a SLF I will never look at a CC again with the same confidence and respect.
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I agree with your sentiments t_richard on what appears to have happened here. Drugging anybody even an adult who doesn't know about it is contemptible.
However to offer up the evidence 10 days after the event, is very strange. If the mother was so outraged why did she not contact the authorities when she landed, if it was my child I would be concerned enough to do that in case the perpetrator did it to another child on the return flight.
To say that you will never look at a flight attendant in the same light again is perfect ********.
That would be like saying you would never look at any car driver in the same light again because you heard about one speeding once and causing an accident.
However to offer up the evidence 10 days after the event, is very strange. If the mother was so outraged why did she not contact the authorities when she landed, if it was my child I would be concerned enough to do that in case the perpetrator did it to another child on the return flight.
To say that you will never look at a flight attendant in the same light again is perfect ********.
That would be like saying you would never look at any car driver in the same light again because you heard about one speeding once and causing an accident.
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T-richard, to allay your fears of CC drugging their big and small pax at random..... This thread was started on the Reporting Points forum, and the bulk of the contributions to it have actually been made while it was on that forum, not on the CC forum.
In fact, the first post made to it on this forum was the one directly above yours!
If the drugging of the toddler actually occurred, it was of course a despicable and unlawful act by the flight attendant in question. One that I know will be condemned by the vast majority of professional FAs.
Please rest assured of that.
At the same time, when the going gets tough, the jokes get going. And many is the time I have heard a joke about spiking a screaming tot's bottle with a drop of brandy. But I have never seen it done, nor even seriously contemplated.
On a slightly different note; quite a few times I have had desperate parents ask me if I knew of any way at all to make their exhausted child stop crying. As a childless person, I never had an answer.
But after I'd been a Mum myself for a few years and had experienced first-hand the total desperation that can hit a parent, and the serious exhaustion that can affect children after a prolonged and seriously frantic bout of relentless crying, my standard respons became "Do you happen to carry with you any perscription cough medication for the child?" And if they did, I'd explain to them that most of those contain a mild sedative, and left them to make up their own mind on the matter.
Many grateful parents have resulted over the years.
Some kids cry endlessly and some don't. Some parents can deal with it, and some can't. I agree with you wholeheartedly that crying children are part of the job of CC. And that we need to maximally exert ourslelves to assist the parents, stopping far short of what this FA supposedly has done.
Please believe me when I say that the vast majority of professional flight attendants feels exactly the same way.
In fact, the first post made to it on this forum was the one directly above yours!
If the drugging of the toddler actually occurred, it was of course a despicable and unlawful act by the flight attendant in question. One that I know will be condemned by the vast majority of professional FAs.
Please rest assured of that.
At the same time, when the going gets tough, the jokes get going. And many is the time I have heard a joke about spiking a screaming tot's bottle with a drop of brandy. But I have never seen it done, nor even seriously contemplated.
On a slightly different note; quite a few times I have had desperate parents ask me if I knew of any way at all to make their exhausted child stop crying. As a childless person, I never had an answer.
But after I'd been a Mum myself for a few years and had experienced first-hand the total desperation that can hit a parent, and the serious exhaustion that can affect children after a prolonged and seriously frantic bout of relentless crying, my standard respons became "Do you happen to carry with you any perscription cough medication for the child?" And if they did, I'd explain to them that most of those contain a mild sedative, and left them to make up their own mind on the matter.
Many grateful parents have resulted over the years.
Some kids cry endlessly and some don't. Some parents can deal with it, and some can't. I agree with you wholeheartedly that crying children are part of the job of CC. And that we need to maximally exert ourslelves to assist the parents, stopping far short of what this FA supposedly has done.
Please believe me when I say that the vast majority of professional flight attendants feels exactly the same way.
