JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Rhode Island man who got into an argument with his travel companion and caused the flight to divert in Jacksonville after making a false bomb threat in December 2023 was sentenced to two years in federal prison Thursday.
According to court documents, Evan Sims, 41, was on a Breeze Airways flight from Orlando to Providence on Dec. 5 and while seated on the plane before takeoff, he began arguing with his travel companion. Sims told his companion that he had never heard of the airline for the flight and that he hoped the airplane did not “go down.”
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During boarding and the airline safety briefing, Sims made comments to his companion about needing to use the emergency doors and that the windows looked like they had not been used, according to the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida.
Officials said Sims also told his travel companion that he hoped he did not have to use the windows. He also questioned the flight crew regarding the emergency life raft that was in the overhead storage compartment. Sims’ travel companion and the surrounding passengers were uncomfortable with his statements and asked him to stop making those comments.
As the plane began taking off, Sims partially stood up in his seat and “exclaimed” that he wanted to get off the plane, according to officials. While the flight was airborne, Sims said approximately two times that his travel companion had a bomb on the plane. Those comments and Sims’ behavior ultimately led to the flight diverting to the Jacksonville International Airport.
Bomb detection dogs were deployed and searched the plane but did not locate a bomb, officials said.
Sims was arrested following the incident and has been in custody ever since.
In March, he pleaded guilty in federal court to the charge of making a false bomb threat on an aircraft.
Sims’ two years in federal prison will be followed by three years of supervised release. The court also ordered him to pay $25,478 in restitution to Breeze Airways.