Overview

• Allegiant Air Flight 1023, carrying 177 passengers and six crew, turned back to St. Pete–Clearwater less than an hour into its flight to Roanoke after a passenger claimed his laptop was a bomb.
• Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office K9 teams searched the aircraft and Taylor’s belongings upon landing and found no explosives.
• Taylor was arrested at the gate and has been federally charged with making a false bomb threat, punishable by up to five years in prison and a $25,000 fine.
• An FBI affidavit states Taylor had recently been released from a mental health facility and acknowledged suffering from a lack of clarity despite taking his prescribed medication.
• Allegiant Air resumed operations after a five-hour delay, issued $100 travel vouchers to affected passengers and said it maintains zero tolerance for disruptive behavior as the FBI leads the ongoing probe.