A Utah man was sentenced to prison and granted a few years of supervised release last week after being found guilty of taking a straight edge razor on a flight operated by JetBlue Airways nearly two years ago. Amid the move, described as a “serious offense,” the passenger reportedly placed the weapon within inches of another person’s neck onboard.
The sentence comes as the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has noted an increase in guns, knives, and other weapons being stopped at checkpoints nationwide. The agency says razors are allowed in carry-on baggage, but the blade is not.
According to the US Attorney’s Office District of Utah, 42-year-old Merrill Darrell Fackrell was sentenced on Thursday to imprisonment of over a year along with three years of supervised release by a US District Court Judge. In a guilty plea, Fackrell, from Syracuse, Utah, admitted to bringing the razor on JetBlue flight 871 from John F. Kennedy International Airport to Salt Lake City International Airport on November 21, 2022.
Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying
Court documents report that Fackrell brought a wooden-handled straight edge razor with a one-to-two-inch blade onboard the flight. He was seated in a window seat next to two married passengers. When he was charged on November 22, 2022, it was alleged that Frackell placed his hand on a seatback screen next to him, where a woman was seated and watching a movie with headphones.
The agency’s administrator said the discoveries highlight the agency’s “incredible threat detection work.”
At that point, Fackell reportedly told the woman to pause the movie and took the straight edge razor out of his carry-on bag, placing it inches from the woman’s skin in the throat/neck area, according to the District Attorney’s Office. As the woman lunged for the aisle to escape, Fackrell reportedly grabbed her shoulder and attempted to stop her.
“Another passenger observed the incident and convinced Fackrell to put the straight edge razor down,” the District Attorney’s Office explained. “The passenger then took the razor off the seat and passed it off to be secured.”
Fackrell also admitted on Thursday that he had “consumed several alcoholic beverages” during the flight.
In a statement, US Attorney for the District of Utah, Trina A. Higgins, explained that passengers will face consequences for bringing a weapon on a flight.
“Carrying a dangerous weapon on an aircraft is a serious offense. No one should be put in harm’s way by another passenger during a flight. In the interest of passenger safety, individuals who carry a dangerous weapon on an aircraft will be prosecuted.”
Photo: Airbus
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Salt Lake City Police Department are investigating the case. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael Kennedy of the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah.
According to the TSA, safety razors are allowed through the airport checkpoints “without the blade.” Before screening, passengers must remove the blade and place it in their checked baggage. The same policy applies to straight razors.
There are all sorts of such products, but permissibility depends on the type of razor.
The agency has noted an uptick in weapons being intercepted by officers at checkpoints nationwide. The majority have been firearms, with nearly 7,000 caught in 2023. This year, the trend has continued, with 12 firearms already intercepted at Miami International Airport alone.
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