Spirit Airlines removed a pilot from duty after he was arrested last month and charged with stalking two children with "reckless conduct causing fear."
The suspect was identified as 40-year-old Dominic Armando Cipolla from Kansas City, Missouri, who was charged with two counts of stalking the children. Officials noted that one of the youths was under the age of 14, which makes the charges against the pilot a felony.
Pilot Charged With Stalking Two Children
Spirit Airlines released a statement about the matter, saying that it was aware of the circumstances under which Cipolla was arrested but added that it was not related to his work. It noted that he was removed from duty pending their own investigation into the case and had arranged another pilot to take over his flight.
The company did not disclose the status of its own investigation into Cipolla, who is not allowed to leave the state of Kansas without the approval of the Johnson County District Court under the terms of his release on $12,500 bail, according to the New York Times.
Cipolla has been working with Spirit Airlines as a first officer since 2022, and the charges against him were brought by the Johnson County District Attorney's Office. His lawyer, Brandan Davies, said on Wednesday that his client is a two-time combat veteran with not so much as a speeding ticket on his record.
Denying the Allegations
The lawyer added that the pilot denies all of the allegations against him and asks the media to allow the court process to take place before making any assumptions. The complaint against the suspect alleges that the incident took place in August last year, but did not provide additional details, People reported.
Official documents showed that Cipolla's stalking case involves a charge where he is considered a severity level 7 person felony in Kansas. This is a crime that can carry one to three years of imprisonment if convicted.
The other charge against the pilot is considered a class A person misdemeanor, which can carry a fine of up to $2,500 or up to a year in county jail. In one of his online accounts, Cipolla was said to have served in the United States military and joined Spirit Airlines in 2022 after working as a first officer at Texas regional airline Envoy Air for three years, as per The Guardian.
The defendant in the case is now scheduled to appear in court on Aug. 12, 2025.
