A 69-year-old man was forced to switch seats on a Delta Airlines flight on Sunday after flight attendants learned he had allegedly groped a 15-year-old sitting next to him, according to federal prosecutors.
The flight from Atlanta was headed for Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on Sunday when prosecutors say Jack Allen Roberson, of Andrews, North Carolina, allegedly placed his hand on the teenager’s thigh before moving it under her skirt.
When the plane touched down in Seattle, Roberson was taken into custody, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington.
For his alleged actions on the flight, Roberson is facing a charge of abusive sexual contact on an aircraft, the press release shared.
The incident began after the 15-year-old boarded her flight to Seattle with her aunt on July 16, the release shared.
The two found Roberson sitting in the wrong seat, the aisle seat, and when they informed him, he moved to the window seat, his correct seat, next to the 15-year-old who sat in the middle, according to the release.
Shortly after the plane took off, the 15-year-old picked up Roberson’s headphones which he had dropped, to which he responded, “Thank you, I don’t know what I would do without you,” the complaint says.
It was sometime after takeoff that the teenager reported feeling him touch her thigh, which she thought was an accident because Roberson appeared to be asleep, the release said.
However, it was at this point that Roberson “slowly moved his hands up her thigh and under her skirt,” the complaint says.
The teenager then told her aunt, who switched spots with her, and notified the flight crew what had happened. Roberson was moved from his seat and relocated on the flight, prosecutors shared.
While being questioned by the authorities after the plane had landed, Roberson admitted to having eight alcoholic beverages before boarding the flight and two double vodka tonics while onboard, the release shared.
He also said that he patted the girl’s thigh while thanking her for retrieving his headphones, but after that fell asleep.
Roberson is due in court for a detention hearing on Wednesday, the release shared.
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