Mississippi Jet Fueler Denied Bond in Theft of Small Plane

A stolen airplane rests in a field of soybeans after crash-landing near Ripley, Miss., on Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022. Authorities say a man who stole a plane and flew it over Mississippi after threatening to crash it into a Walmart store faces charges of grand larceny and terroristic threats. Tupelo Police Chief John Quaka said Cory Wayne Patterson didn't have a pilot's license but had some flight instruction and was an employee of Tupelo Aviation.AP Photo/Nikki Boertman

TUPELO, Miss.—A man charged with stealing a plane that he didn’t know how to land will remain behind bars, denied bond by a judge who took a dim view of his lawyer’s promise that he wouldn’t take off again.

Airport worker Cory Wayne Patterson allegedly stole the plane on Saturday after posting a goodbye message saying he “never actually wanted to hurt anyone.” Police say he called 911 threatening to crash the plane into a Walmart and circled for five hours over unnerved Mississippians before safely landing in a soybean field.