Flight Diverted After Man 'Tries to Kiss Sleeping Teen'

He was charged with assault
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 22, 2016 3:10 AM CDT
Flight Diverted After Man 'Tries to Kiss Sleeping Teen'
Alaska Airlines planes wait for takeoff at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.   (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

A 23-year-old man on a flight from Portland, Ore., to Anchorage, Alaska, ended up in custody in Seattle after allegedly trying to kiss the sleeping 16-year-old next to him. A spokesman for Seattle's Sea-Tac Airport says Flight 137 was diverted there Tuesday afternoon after the pilot was notified of the man's behavior, Q13 reports. The man was met by police at the gate and was charged with fourth-degree assault. The teen remained on board the flight, which departed for Anchorage around an hour later.

The airline tells KATU that during the flight, "a male passenger seated towards the back of the plane inappropriately touched another passenger seated beside him. Upon learning about the incident, the flight crew acted swiftly and separated the two passengers and the flight was diverted into Seattle." (An unaccompanied 13-year-old went through "30 minutes of hell" when she was groped by the 26-year-old man seated next to her on an American Airlines flight, an attorney says.)

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