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SUNNY Temp: 56 °F Wind: CLM at 0 mph Thursday, June 5, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend June 3, 2003 An AmericaWest Express plane had just left Medford for Phoenix, Ariz., when it was recalled Monday because of a bomb threat, leading to searches and interrogations of passengers. The threat turned out to be a hoax. Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli Bomb scare disrupts airport A suspect’s hoax forces an AmericaWest flight to return, leading to delays, searches By MARK FREEMAN and SARAH LEMON Mail Tribune A Klamath Falls man hoping to delay the take-off of his Monday afternoon flight from Medford to Phoenix, Ariz., telephoned AmericaWest Airlines suggesting that a bomb could be on board, which forced the recall of the plane and its 30 passengers 10 minutes into the flight, police said. But the ruse backfired when an airline employee noticed something peculiar about a passenger at the Rogue Valley International-Medford Airport trying to get onto AmericaWest Express Flight 6262 as it was still headed back to Medford. Richard Allen Harrison Jr., 29, was detained by police at the airport before the plane returned and was isolated at the terminal while police searched the plane and ruined passengers’ travel plans. Now Harrison, who was jailed Monday on unrelated theft charges, is facing possible federal charges in this post-9/11 era of no tolerance for messing with air traffic. Advertisement "This is far different than making a threat in jest at the airport," Medford police Lt. Mike Moran said. "They are very serious charges." The FBI is investigating the case and interviewed Harrison Monday evening. He was not arrested on any charges relating to Monday’s ordeal, but the FBI did name him as the suspect late Monday, Moran said. FBI officials planned to comment more about the case today, Moran said. For about three hours, various bomb-squad officers searched the 50-passenger commuter plane and the 30 passengers’ baggage, even running Medford police’s new explosives-sniffing dog through the plane, police said. The ordeal stunned passengers who were held about two hours, eventually learning of the bomb scare as authorities searched their luggage. "I’m just happy they landed the plane," said Joy Joslyn, who was en route to Las Vegas to care for her ailing mother. "If you’re up in the air that’s something to worry about." The flight left Medford shortly after its 2:45 p.m. scheduled departure time, just about the time a call was placed to the airline’s call center in Reno, according to Moran. The caller gave specific information about the flight and "suggested that the plane should be re-screened," Moran said. Shortly after 3 p.m., airport authorities received news of the call, then quickly recalled the plane. In the air for just a few moments, the plane’s flight attendant took a call from the pilot, said passenger Barbara Tatom of El Paso, Texas. "She just turned white," Tatom said of the flight attendant. "She hung up, set down and did the Catholic cross. I thought ‘Oh my god, I think we’re in trouble.’ " Passenger Bill Shea of Gold Hill said the pilot informed passengers that they would be returning to Medford to check a warning light. However, Shea said he immediately expected a bomb threat. After a quick return flight and what passengers called a bouncy landing, the plane was escorted to an open runway area away from the terminal. The passengers were whisked out and corralled in a field surrounded by yellow tape labeled "hazardous materials." "They wouldn’t tell us nothing," said Maria Martinez, 56, who was returning to Orange County after attending a Medford wedding. Passengers were bused to the gate area and kept isolated as several fire trucks, police and a multi-agency bomb squad descended on the aircraft. "There was a rather intense effort to screen for bombs before we knew there wasn’t likely a bomb," Moran said. Still, investigators continued their search of the plane’s nooks and crannies until after 6 p.m. "Everything that could be suspect on the plane, they have to go over," Jackson County Sheriff’s Capt. Joe Puckett said. One of the airport’s two runways was closed, with air traffic funneled through one open runway, airport spokeswoman Kim Stearns said. Medford police and FBI agents interviewed their suspect at the Medford Police Department while the passengers re-arranged their travel plans. Although AmericaWest attempted to place passengers on other flights, Martinez and others refused the offer. "I just don’t want to go through that again," Martinez said, adding that she wasn’t sure when she would be able to get on another plane. Reach reporter Mark Freeman at 776-4470, or e-mail [email protected] Reach reporter Sarah Lemon at 776-4487, or e-mail [email protected] The Associated Press contributed to this report. 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