CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A flight attendant for American Airlines who was charged with assaulting crew members and an air marshal was released from jail Friday morning.
During a court hearing, a judge released Joanne Snow to her sons in New Hampshire and ordered her to a mental health facility.
"What's the nature of her diagnosis so we can determine if she's a danger?" prosecutor Mike Savage said.
Federal public defender Peter Adolf told the judge he believes Snow's unusual behavior on the flight from Charlotte to Germany may be the result of medication she recently began taking to treat depression.
Adolf says Snow's family told him she “seemed like a totally different person when she started taking the medication."
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The judge also required one of Snow's children to agree to make sure she gets to treatment and gets back to court in Charlotte. Snow has also been banned from flying while the case plays out in court.
Snow was arrested last week after marshals said she exhibited irrational behavior during the round-trip flight.
Court papers filed in federal court said Snow told marshals she was “crazy” and a “train wreck” before a flight on Nov. 23 to which she was assigned by American Airlines. Marshals said Snow continued to exhibit irrational behavior during the flights and said she slapped a fellow flight attendant and hit a federal air marshal.
In court during her initial appearance, prosecutors revealed new information saying Snow tried to unlock the plane's door as it taxied toward a gate at the Frankfurt airport.
In court earlier this week, Snow's behavior was equally unusual.
She shouted down her court appointed attorney several times and at one point said “I'm talking to the judge now."
She also stared at a woman in court who appeared to know her. Outside, that woman declined to say who she was or if she was related to Snow, who prosecutors said is from New Hampshire.
Another serious question surrounding the case is why American Airlines allowed Joanne Snow to be part of the flight crews.
Court papers said crew members had expressed concerns about Snow's behavior and asked that she not be allowed on the plane but that American Airlines assigned her to the crew anyway.
The airline also assigned Snow to the return flight two days later, despite her allegedly dangerous behavior on the initial flight.
Asked for comment Tuesday, American Airlines issued a statement saying "we are absolutely investigating what happened in this incident and want to try to prevent issues in the future."
American is not saying if Snow is still an employee.
As for Snow, prosecutors said she was involuntarily committed to a mental health facility after her arrest.
On Friday the judge gave Snow a $50,000 bond with the stipulation that she enter a mental health treatment facility within 10 days.
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