Man charged with sexual misconduct during an American Airlines flight
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TULSA, OK -- A man who caused an American Airlines’ flight to be diverted to Tulsa last week ...
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...was charged Nov. 8 in federal court for engaging in unwanted sexual contact with a female passenger, announced U.S. Attorney Trent Shores.
“American flight 807, traveling from North Carolina to Utah, was diverted to Tulsa due to the alleged conduct of passenger James Clayton Cholewinski-boy,” said U.S. Attorney Trent Shores of the Northern District of Oklahoma. “Today, the United States Attorney’s Office filed criminal charges as a result of Mr. Cholewinski-boy’s alleged actions on the plane.”
A fellow passenger said Cholewinski-boy first began touching the woman’s arm, then grabbed her “by the crotch.”
Airline crew moved the woman to another part of the plane, which made an unscheduled landing in Tulsa so that Cholewinski-boy could be removed. The suspect was initially charged with public intoxication, followed by the federal charges three days later.
In-flight sexual assaults are not always reported, making the problem difficult to track.
The New York Times reported that, “One-fifth of flight attendants said they had received a report of passenger-onpassenger sexual assault while working on a flight,” but that “Law enforcement officials were contacted or met the plane less than half the time.”
The Federal Aviation Administration a sexual misconduct task force to look into the ongoing problem, which has affected both passengers and flight attendants.
“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 explained. “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 flight was en route to Salt Lake City, Utah, from Charlotte, North Carolina, when the incident occurred.
“The FBI will investigate this matter moving forward,” Shores added.