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Subscribe to RSSAn Olympic hopeful accused of urinating on a fellow passenger during a cross-country flight has been kicked off the U.S. Ski Team's development squad.
Robert "Sandy" Vietze, 18, was aboard JetBlue Flight 166 from Portland, Ore., to New York's John F. Kennedy airport on Tuesday when he stumbled down the aisle to use the toilet. However, he didn’t quite make it all the way to the lavatory and instead emptied his bladder on a sleeping 11-year-old girl, the New York Post reports.
"I was drunk, and I did not realize I was pissing on her leg," Vietze, who told authorities that he had consumed eight drinks, was quoted as saying in the Post.
"Based on the information we have, Sandy Vietze is in violation of the USSA code of conduct and team agreement, and has been dismissed from the team," U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association executive vice president of athletics Luke Bodensteiner told msnbc.com in a statement.
Robert "Sandy" Vietze, 18, consumed eight drinks before allegedly urinating on an 11-year-old girl during a flight from Portland, Ore. to New York.
Vietze, of Warren, Vt., was taken into police custody upon the plane's arrival at the gate, JetBlue told msnbc.com in a statement. He was issued a federal summons for indecent exposure, but a spokeswoman for the Port Authority Police told NBC New York that federal prosecutors decided not to pursue criminal charges. A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's office, however, told the Associated Press that the case is pending.
Vietze, among the 75 best skiers in the nation, had taken the red-eye flight after a weeklong training camp. Citing court documents, AP reports that Vietze had consumed "five or six beers and two rum and cola cocktails before boarding the flight."
When asked what JetBlue's policy is regarding intoxicated passengers, airline spokeswoman Allison Steinberg said "our inflight crewmembers are trained to take the necessary actions if a customer is noncompliant with a crewmember’s instructions or duties."
More on Overhead Bin
- 'Drunk' man arrested for urinating on girl during flight
- 'The Female Orgasm Explained' offered on Qantas flights
- Gross! 5 things not to do on a plane
Joy Jernigan is a senior travel editor for msnbc.com. Follow her on Twitter.
Leave a Comment:
I'm sure there is someone equally talented and deserving to represent the U.S. Next...
Proof the DEMS are running things:
PEE on a child: NO CHARGES!!!
Kill a child: get away with it (Casey Anthony)
Stay in Alaska. Ask a moose to help with the "randy" part.
AKRandy - You are a complete troll, taking an article that has absolutely nothing to do with politics and trying to derail the discussion. Go crawl back under your rock please.
@AKRandy:
Courts are not controlled neither by republicans, nor by democrats.
AKRandy, you are a moron. The girl's family has declined to press charges because they don't want her to have to go through the ordeal of testifying.
Juliop, the article states that he drank before getting on the flight.
Also, 8 drinks will not kill you unless you weigh about 75 pounds.
i'm suprised he was that intoxicated on just 8 drinks. Hell, that will just wet my whistle.
Hey, eight drinks would kill me. According to the article, he did not drink on the plane. Why was he allowed on if he was inebriated? Who served an underage person all those drinks? I can understand the family not wanting their child to testify, but certainly the parents saw what happened (and actually, the child did not; she was sleeping). Why can't they testify?
Sounds like this kid is a candidate for rehab. He just learned a really hard lesson. Hope he gets the help he needs.
What a non-answer by Jet Blue spokeswoman Allison Steinberg regarding policy on drunk passengers: "our inflight crewmembers are trained to take the necessary actions if a customer is noncompliant with a crewmember’s instructions or duties."
And for this she gets a fat salary while competent people remain unemployed.
Deborah Cox, haven't you done something to excess once? Sometimes you can do something to excess once and not need rehab. He may not be an alchoholic, just stupid.
Richard-655562, I agree. So they are trained, then why did they let a drunk on the plane and why did they let him stagger down the isle and piss on a sleeping girl? Doesn't sound trained to me.
Richard - Flight attendants do not inspect each person looking for issues that would keep them off the plane. Anyone can hide an impairment for the few minutes it takes to walk to their seat. Also, cabin pressure can increase the effect of alcohol in some, if not most, people. Mildly silly upon boarding can become a safety issue at 35,000 feet.
As a former flight attendant, I am well aware of the kind of freaky idiocy that passengers can exhibit. But who in the hell would have seen this coming?
how did he not get arrested? underage drinking is against the law. I'm not being a prude- i was once arrested for underage drinking!!! I think going to a skiing school that your parents can afford to pay over $40,000.00 for has something to do with it...
stupid entitled rich brat... I'm glad he doesn't have the chance to compete for the USA!
and, to anyone that may comment, no, I'm not bitter- I'm just amazed that the least he didn't get was a misdemeanor ticket for being underage drunk when he had his "adult" pecker out in front of an 11 year old girl...
@Richard I thought the answer was very clear. I thought it said, "Jet blue really does not care if a passenger is drunk, but if their drunkness becomes a problem we will check them into place.
I'm sure that they will have no trouble finding someone equally talented and deserving to represent the U.S. Next...
"I was drunk, and I did not realize I was pissing on her leg,"
Oh, well since you thought you were just pissing all over the floor of the plane that makes it better.
Too, bad he didn't piss on some guys leg who then proceeded to beat him for being a drunk dumbass.
Pjam, according to other accounts I read, the girl's father had to be restrained from pounding the guy.
Pity, he should have left the disgusting little cretin a greasy spot on the carpet.
Talk about pissing away your chances of doing something great........
not for nothing but what attendant serves an underage kid 8 drinks....I think the parents just got college paid for.
It's not clear whether he was served drinks on the plane.. other possibilities include someone else ordering drinks, him having consumed them prior to boarding, fake ID.. come on. Anything could have happened here.
Yes, it was very clear if you read the article. AP reports that Vietze had consumed "five or six beers and two rum and cola cocktails before boarding the flight."
Golden Showers offered on Jet Blue.
Forget about skiing on the Olympic Team, Mr. Vietze! Your traveling and drinking skills (see Alberto Tomba) are not up to par! However, you obviously have what it takes to be an American CEO - pissing on little people!
Kick this jerk off the team and give him some jail time to reconsider his drinking habits. No one on a plane should have to worry about being accosted by drunken morons.
This headline should read "Olympic Dreams Dashed after Illegal Drunken Stupidity"
How about 'Olympic Dreams REVOKED After Skier Pees on a Sleeping 11-year-old Girl'. Dashed makes it sound like it wasn't his fault.
You're right.
About what one expects from MSNBC
J
When I read the article's title, I wasn't sure if the person kicked off the team was the pee-er or the pee-on. Great writing/editing. Man accused of peeing on leg of girl kicked off of team... which one was kicked off? I read the article, so I know, but sheesh!
What a disgusting loser.
He tripped and fell on the girl causing him to wet his pants when he couldn't get back up in time. What a moron. How embarassing, how disgusting. What a complete buffoon. Kick this worthless loser off our team !
First - this is NOT to stick up for this guy, AT ALL. :)
Second - if that's what happened (if he tripped and wet his pants) then that's the worst 'journalism' I've seen in a long time! To equate peeing ones own pants, with peeing on some sleeping 11 year olds - that's not even remotely close to the same thing. Again, don't misunderstand - this guy should be kicked off the team, but while we're at it, let's kick the ''journalists'' that would have us believe this guy is standing there, dick in hand, giving a golden shower to an innocent 11 year old girl. The image that conjures up is WAY different than a stumbling drunk that's fallen over and pisses his own pants before he can get up. Either way is bad - but to let us (or to lead us) to believe that this was an intentional, ''external'' urination if it wasn't - that's ridiculous.
He didn't trip. He thought he was in the lav, whupped it out, and peed on this poor sleeping girl. Her father, who was returning from taking his other child to the lav, caught this guy peeing on his kid and went nuts. I'm not sure where Capt America received his information, but ski-guy would not have been kicked off of the ski team for simply wetting his pants.
TOdd C
I know, it sounded like he just hosed her down.
No class and obviously has a drinking problem which would lead to other embarrasments. Bye Bye, we do not need him to dress in American colors.
If there's such a thing as an Olympic Golden Showers Medal, he has a decent shot
Many kudos for this decision. I like it 'old school' where athletes are expected to act right and do the right thing (or else!!).
USA's finest in action. USA, USA, USA!!!
Stupid case of poor judgement by an 18 yo kid, too bad it's having such a large effect on his life.
There's another case of poor judgment from another two 18-year-olds in MSNBC today, too. These are the "kids" (I think they're men if they're going to act that way) who were arrested for murdering a man in Mississippi. Yep, one of them just ran the truck right over the guy, after his friend had punched the poor man out so he couldn't run or get away.
When people ask "What is this world coming to?" or "What's happening to our kids today", these are the types of stories they will hear.
How very sad (not to say stupid) in both cases.
He's 18 years old, consumed 8 drinks, pissed on a 10 yr old and is on the US Ski Team, sounds like he's picking up where Body Miller left off!
Who amongst us have not mistaken a little girl for a urinal, at least once in our lives?? I say live and let live.
easy there, R Kelly...
He exposed "himself" to an 11 year old, peed on the child (there's got to be some violation of throwing a bodily fluid on someone without their consent or minor), was OBVIOUSLY drinking while underage and there are not CRIMINAL charges?! The DA needs to have his head examined. Yet if the father punched the moron, defending his child he WOULD be cited. Our country really IS going to hell!
----
He was issued a federal summons for indecent exposure, but a spokeswoman for the Port Authority Police told NBC New York that federal prosecutors decided not to pursue criminal charges. A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's office, however, told the Associated Press that the case is pending.
So agree! What a wrong use of the word "unfortunate." "Pathetic in-flight incident" is more appropriate.
I thought that was poor wording as well... unfortunate is typically used to validate that a wrong occurred, but not condemn the wrong itself. They should have just left the word out altogether. Somehow because he was on track to be on the olympic team we're supposed to feel sorry for him? He deserved being be kicked off the team AND deserves to be charged/sued for his conduct!
Olympic water-sports?
John
If there had been two of them they could have tried out for the synchronized peeing team.
THIS GUY Exposed his PENIS in the cabin where anyone could have seen him and they don't pursue charges? We'll see him in the news again, next time molesting a kid- You think it's just chance that he happened to pee on an 11-year old girl? Another failure of the system.
His penis was out in the open for all to see, except it was barely visible, if you know what I mean.
What, you've never seen a penis before?
Good... under age and drunk it is obvious he is unable to maintain control while intoxicated. I would toss him off too, charge him with public drunkenness with nice fines, suspend his drivers license till he is 21 and 500 hours of community service at the local PD drunk tank. They really need to stick it to the underage drinkers early and hard. In fact all DUI's, public drunkards all need to be dealt with stiffer penalties, so tired of the slap on the had, poo-poo charges. Those that kill people should be made to assist on future clean up of DUI crashes, if they get sick, they clean that up too. No More Coddling !!!!
"I was drunk, and I did not realize I was pissing on her leg". What human being acts and speaks this way? Wow.
An 18-yr-old moron, that is who. When the dust settles, that quotation will be funny.
An entitled and irresponsible human being.
What the Hell, I hate a drunk !! The guy is a kid, who gave him the booze. If they find that out, I hope charges are brought against them. Ruining this kids life is no joke, he can forget the olypics and skiing too, except for pleasure.
Come on if he is the 75th best in the US and we pretty much suck at skiing compared to the rest of the world then that would make him in the top 10,000th best skier of the world. That's not even gonna get him laid at closing time!
the kid ruined his own life. pretty sure no one held him down and made him drink...
also, ivoice, of course he's no good at skiing- he's only got one ski-pole and he doesn't even know how to use it...