Drunk man grabs female passenger's crotch on American Airlines flight forcing plane to divert and make an emergency landing
A passenger on an American Airlines flight from Charlotte to Salt Lake City allegedly grabbed the crotch of another passenger sitting next to him, forcing the plane to be diverted to Tulsa, Oklahoma, per a release by the United States Attorney's Office on Friday.
The release stated how 32-year-old James Clayton Cholewinski-Boy was charged with abusive sexual contact of a female passenger "as a result of [his] alleged actions on the plane," Fox News reports.
Cholewinski-Boy allegedly touched the arm of a woman sitting next to him during the flight on Tuesday, before she pushed his hands away, an FBI agent said in an affidavit.
But the defiant suspect was not undeterred. He continued his advances and proceeded to grab her crotch, before she pushed his hand away once again and told him to stop. At this point, Cholewinski-Boy reportedly held up his hands and apologized.
“This week, American Flight 807, traveling from North Carolina to Utah, was diverted to Tulsa due to the alleged conduct of passenger James Clayton Cholewinski-Boy," U.S. Attorney Trent Shores of the Northern District of Oklahoma said in a statement. "Today, the United States Attorney’s Office filed criminal charges as a result of Mr Cholewinski-Boy’s alleged actions on the plane."
Flight attendants moved the woman and her daughter away from the suspect following the incident.
Cholewinski-Boy was arrested on a charge of public intoxication as soon as the plane landed in Tulsa. Airport police then handed the case over to the FBI, which later filed a sexual contact complaint against the suspect.
"The public should know these allegations pertain to criminal sexual misconduct by Mr Cholewinski-Boy against a female passenger, not a threat to the plane or air travel," Shores said. "The Federal Bureau of Investigation along with Tulsa International Airport law enforcement officers responded swiftly and professionally to this situation as soon as the plane touched down in Tulsa."
"The FBI will investigate this matter moving forward," he added. "I am thankful for the men and women of law enforcement who work to ensure the safety and security of the traveling public.”
According to Tulsa city jail records, Cholewinski-Boy was released from jail on Wednesday.
"We want to thank our crew, who once they became aware of this behavior, immediately separated the mother and her daughter on the flight. They subsequently requested law enforcement and diverted the aircraft to Tulsa," American Airlines said in a statement to The Hill. "The quick actions of our crew ensured the safety and wellbeing of our customers on the flight."
According to Deseret News, Cholewinski-Boy was arrested for a DUI in 2010 and pleaded guilty to public intoxication in July 2018.