**Former Leader of Ayahuasca Church Faces Charges for Assault on Flight**

A former leader of an ayahuasca church in Florida, Everett Chad Nelson, is facing a serious legal battle after being accused of violently attacking a fellow passenger on a United Airlines flight. The incident, which took place on a flight from California to Washington, D.C., resulted in severe injuries to the victim, who was reportedly sleeping when the unexpected assault occurred.

The federal complaint, filed on Tuesday, provides details of the incident, which happened about two hours into the five-hour flight from San Francisco to Dulles. According to the complaint, Nelson, aged 44, left his seat located at the rear of the aircraft and went to a lavatory at the front. Upon exiting the bathroom, he stopped at seat 12F where the victim was sleeping and began striking him in the face and head without any apparent provocation.

The complaint outlines that the assault lasted for a full minute, causing significant injuries to the victim, including two black eyes and a gash on his nose. The attack left the cabin splattered with blood. A Good Samaritan intervened, managing to restrain Nelson and halt the beating. Nelson, who had no observable injuries, was subsequently moved to a different seat where he was monitored for the rest of the flight by a fellow passenger who had intervened.

The victim, who was deaf and non-verbal, was treated onboard by a doctor available on the flight. United Airlines, responding to the incident, praised the prompt actions of their crew and passengers, stating that the plane landed safely and was met by paramedics and local law enforcement at Dulles.

Statistics from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) highlight a troubling rise in passenger unruliness, with 1,748 reports so far in 2024, approaching the 2023 total of 2,076. In 2022, there were 2,455 such reports, a significant drop from the 2021 peak of 5,973. The FBI has jurisdiction over crimes committed in-flight, and offenders can face severe penalties including felony records and fines up to $37,000 per violation. Violent behavior can also result in being placed on an airline's no-fly list and the revocation of TSA PreCheck privileges.

Nelson has been charged with one count of assault by beating, striking, and wounding in the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States. His trial is set to begin on December 11, and if convicted, he could face up to a year in prison. Attempts to reach Cadence Mertz, the public defender assigned to Nelson's case, for comment have so far been unsuccessful.