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Airport assault, theft suspect rejects plea deal, will go to trial

Posted at 3:54 PM, May 20, 2019
and last updated 2019-05-20 17:54:10-04

SALT LAKE CITY -- A man accused of slipping by TSA agents, assaulting a man and stealing his phone in the airport will not have a plea deal and will face a jury trial in July.

Negotiations between Victor Cossio's lawyer and prosecutors are over after disputes on how much time he might spend behind bars.

Victor Cossio, 42, and his lawyer told Judge Elizabeth Hruby-Mills Monday morning that they rejected a proposed plea arrangement where Cossio would plead guilty to one 2nd-degree felony over matters of sentencing.

Cossio will instead have a two-day jury trial in July for three felony charges and one misdemeanor, and, if convicted, he could go to prison for decades.

Cossio was arrested in March at the Salt Lake City International Airport after police say he slipped by TSA agents, assaulted a man and stole his phone.

Then, after he was apprehended, Cossio had multiple boarding passes in his possession, none of which belong to him, police said.

Earlier this month, he and his attorney waived a preliminary hearing, anticipating that he would plead guilty to the single felony.