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A former Alaska Airlines pilot who attempted to disable the engines of a 2023 passenger flight while riding off duty in the cockpit after taking psychedelic mushrooms will not serve any prison time after he was released by a judge Monday.

U.S. District Court Judge Amy Baggio sentenced Joseph Emerson to credit for time served and supervised release for three years at a hearing in Portland, Oregon. Emerson pleaded guilty to the charges against him in September as part of a deal with state and federal prosecutors. Federal prosecutors had asked a judge to impose a one-year prison sentence.

"Pilots are not perfect. They are human," the judge said. "They are people and all people need help sometimes."

SMOKE FROM UNKNOWN PASSENG

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