A former California Highway Patrol captain from the San Gabriel Valley was accused Thursday of slapping a flight attendant's buttocks on a Los Angeles-bound flight last month, then loudly proclaiming his "love" for the man before exposing himself to another steward.
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Dennis Wally Woodbury, 49, of Azusa, is charged in Los Angeles federal court with one count of abusive sexual contact within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States, a felony carrying a possible sentence of up to two years behind bars, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Woodbury, who made his initial court appearance last month and is free on $50,000 bond, is scheduled to be arraigned on May 12 in downtown Los Angeles.
According to court documents, Woodbury was a passenger on a JetBlue Airways flight on April 13 from Fort Lauderdale, Florida to Los Angeles International Airport. Before the flight left the gate, Woodbury engaged in inappropriate conduct with two flight attendants, prosecutors allege.
For example, court papers contend, Woodbury showed one of the flight attendants a photograph of a dog with pornographic imagery in the background of the photo. Woodbury later allegedly told one of the flight attendants that he should go on a cruise with him, then made a crude hand gesture.
Just after meal service and while the plane was still in the air, the second flight attendant collected passengers' meal trays and walked past Woodbury. Prosecutors allege Woodbury, who had been drinking heavily, then used his left hand to slap the steward's buttocks. Woodbury then yelled that he loved him, according to documents filed in the case.
Later during the flight, the first flight attendant was in the plane's front galley when Woodbury entered. Woodbury allegedly then pulled down his trousers and underwear, exposing his genitalia. The first flight attendant told Woodbury that his behavior was inappropriate. Soon afterward, Woodbury asked him for wine, a request that was denied. When Woodbury again pulled down his trousers and underwear, the flight attendant said, "Enough, go back to your seat," according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
During interviews with law enforcement, the flight attendants confirmed that neither of them consented to Woodbury's alleged advances, federal prosecutors said.
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