A- 69-year-old Andrews, North Carolina resident is in federal custody charged with abusive sexual contact on board an aircraft, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman late yesterday.
Jack Allen Roberson was arrested at Seattle Tacoma International Airport on Sunday evening and will remain in federal custody pending a detention hearing on Wednesday, July 19, 2023.
According to records filed in the case, Roberson was seated next to the 15-year-old victim who was traveling with her guardian. According to the criminal complaint, while Roberson appeared to be sleeping, he allegedly slipped his hand onto the victim’s thigh and ran it up under her skirt and towards her genitals. The victim reported the unwanted touching to her guardian who contacted the flight attendant. Roberson was moved to a different seat. Law enforcement was contacted and met the plane on arrival. Roberson was arrested and taken to the Federal Detention Center at Seattle Tacoma.
Abusive sexual contact on an aircraft is punishable by up to two years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The case is being investigated by the FBI.
The incident comes less than a week after it was announced that a 41-year-old Chief Warrant Officer in the Army was indicted for two counts of abusive sexual contact while on board an aircraft, also on flights arriving at Seattle Tacoma.
Read more at the Justice Department
