Rhode Island man charged with making false bomb threat that forced flight from Orlando to land

A Rhode Island man is facing a federal charge after investigators say he made a false bomb threat on flight from Orlando, forcing the plane to land.

▶ WATCH CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS

According to court documents, 41-year-old Evan Sims was on board Breeze Air Flight 717 Tuesday, which was scheduled to fly from Orlando International Airport to Providence, Rhode Island. Sims was seated on the plane with a woman he was in a relationship with when the two began to argue shortly before takeoff.

According to a criminal complaint, other passengers heard Sims say he was going to “fire up a vape” and his companion telling him to stop.

READ: Boy, 16, shot to death in Melbourne

Investigators say Sims went on to make comments that he’d never heard of Breeze Airways and that he hoped the plane didn’t “go down.” Sims added that they would be “gone with the wind,” according to the report.

The complaint says Sims’ companion told him several times that their relationship was over and that he needed to leave her alone. That’s when she says Sims dumped a drink on her and called her a “bitch.”

During boarding and the airline safety briefing, investigators say Sims continued making comments about the plane, saying he needed to use the emergency doors and that the windows looked like they had not been used.

According to the complaint, Sims’ partner and other surrounding passengers became uncomfortable with his statements, with some even asking to change seats.

As the flight began its initial ascent into the air, Sims partially stood up in his seat and exclaimed that he wanted to get off the plane.

Once it was safe for passengers to change seats, the flight crew began to move Sims’ partner “in an effort to resolve the situation.” That’s when investigators say Sims uttered twice that his travel partner had a bomb on the plane.

According to the Department of Justice, the flight crew and other passengers heard the comments, including one passenger who was an off-duty law enforcement officer.

READ: Historical marker honoring Black man killed in 1925 lynching revealed in Orlando

Due to Sims’ “repeated disturbances and escalating behavior,” the Breeze Airways pilot relayed information about the situation to their dispatch center. After a review of the circumstances, the decision was made to divert the flight to Jacksonville International Airport.

According to court documents, one flight attendant told investigators Sims seemed to be “satisfied” with the diversion announcement and was “smirking” while other passengers appeared to be upset.

All the passengers were forced to leave the plane and bomb detection dogs were called in to search, but they didn’t locate a bomb.

Both Sims and his partner were detained for questioning. When interviewed about the incident, Sims claimed his statements were “misconstrued” by the other passengers and that he was just “making jokes” about the plane “going down” because he was unfamiliar with the company and was nervous about flying.

Sims said he wanted to get off the plane because his partner broke up with him, and he no longer wanted to fly to Rhode Island.

Sims also claimed he didn’t say “bomb” because he “generally does not use that word” and has a “very dark sense of humor.”

He instead tried to suggest he said “calm” and said he didn’t think he would say the word “bomb.”

However, investigators say Sims did eventually acknowledge that he’s “only human” and could have used the word “bomb” on accident once, but “definitely not twice.”

READ: UNLV shooting: Suspect was professor who failed to get job at school

Towards the end of the interview, investigators say Sims asked how much trouble he was in.

Sims is charged with uttering false information and threats regarding the possession of an explosive on an airplane. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison.

The remaining passengers on the flight continued to Providence the following morning.

Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.