British police have arrested a deputy U.S. marshal for allegedly sexually abusing a female passenger on board his flight.
According to a report from NBC News, citing sources familiar with the matter, the federal marshal was one of two deputies traveling on a Delta flight from New York City’s John F. Kennedy International Airport to London to help extradite a criminal defendant.
The deputies were making the trip to bring a suspect wanted in Brooklyn on federal fraud-related charges back to the United States.
While heading across the pond, a woman complained to the flight crew that she had been inappropriately touched by the marshall, NBC News reported.
Two law enforcement officials said that the two federal marshals had been drinking during the flight. The second marshal was sent back to New York on Wednesday night without being charged.
Metropolitan Police in London shared a statement on the incident, sharing that officers at Heathrow Airport were informed the marshal, 39, had “sexually assaulted other passengers and crew” while on the flight and was arrested on suspicion of sexual assault. He remains in custody at this point.
A spokesman for the U.S. Marshals Service noted that it was aware the deputy “exhibited inappropriate behavior while intoxicated on an inbound flight.”
The agency is cooperating with law enforcement in the U.K. and other agencies.
“The U.S. Marshals Service takes seriously any allegations of misconduct by its employees. The alleged actions of the employees do not reflect the professionalism of the thousands of employees of the USMS or its core values,” the statement read.
Delta also commented on the incident, confirming that something happened on the flight.
“Due to unruly passenger behavior while in flight, Delta Flight 1, JFK to London-Heathrow, was met by local law enforcement upon landing, and Delta is cooperating with their investigation,” a Delta spokesperson said.