A North Side man who was headed back to Poland to celebrate New Year’s Eve could face five years in prison after he allegedly told flight attendants at O’Hare International Airport that he had a bomb in his carry-on luggage, authorities said Sunday.
Cook County Judge Kevin Sheehan on Sunday ordered Jacek Knopczynski, 59, a Polish citizen who is a legal U.S. resident, held in lieu of $100,000 bail.
Prosecutors said Knopczynski was barred from a LOT Polish Airlines flight to Warsaw on Saturday because he was allegedly intoxicated and he was told to re-book. When he was asked to take his carry-on bag from the ticket counter, he said he didn’t want it because there was a bomb in it, authorities said.
Officials did not find any explosives in the bag, but Knopczynski was charged with felony disorderly conduct. Potential punishment ranges from probation to five years behind bars.The man’s son-in-law, Chris Kleparski, said Knopczynski is a good man who made a bad joke.
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Compiled from RedEye news services.
