A plea deal for a five-year term of felony probation was granted Thursday for a man who told investigators he planned to steal a small commercial jet from the Texarkana airport and fly it to a rap concert in Chicago.
Zemarcuis Scott, 18, appeared with Managing Public Defender Jason Mitchell before Circuit Judge Carlton Jones late Thursday afternoon for a hearing at the Miller County Correctional Facility. As part of a plea bargain, Scott received two five-year terms of probation after pleading guilty to commercial burglary and attempted theft of a twin engine American Eagle jet.
According to court records, Scott told investigators that he thought there wasn’t much more to flying the plane than pushing buttons and pulling levers, when asked about his complete lack of training as a pilot. Scott told police he intended to take the aircraft to Chicago so he could attend a concert featuring rapper Famous Dex.
When Texarkana, Ark., police arrived at the Texarkana Regional Airport in the early hours of July 4, they found Scott in the cockpit, sitting in the pilot’s chair. Airport personnel called police after spotting Scott jump over the fence and head for the jet. Scott told police that his decision to try to steal the plane had nothing to do with it being Fourth of July.
In addition to being supervised for five years by Arkansas probation officials, Scott is required to participate in any mental health programs the probation department recommends, must pay a $1,000 fine, and is prohibited from stepping foot on airport property, Chief Prosecuting Attorney Chuck Black said.
