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Kona man charged in hijacking hoax
A federal grand jury indicted a 58-year-old Kona man Wednesday for an alleged hoax that prompted a hijacking scare on an Alaska Airlines flight, the FBI announced.
Timothy David Hershman was indicted on one count of false information and hoaxes, which carries a maximum penalty of five years’ imprisonment. The U.S. District Court in Honolulu will issue a summons for Hershman to appear.
The FBI said the charges are related to a Jan. 17 phone call made to the FBI regarding a flight from Kona to Seattle, FBI spokesman Tom Simon said in an email. The caller said a man on the flight was a possible hijacker, Simon has said.
Two F-15 jets from the Oregon Air National Guard escorted Flight 819 in to Seattle-Tacoma Airport, and authorities questioned a passenger for nearly two hours. He was not arrested.