Delta mechanic reached under woman’s shirt as she appeared to sleep on flight, feds say
A Delta Air Lines mechanic groped a passenger sitting next to him as she seemed to be asleep on a flight from Arizona to Seattle, federal prosecutors said.
Duane Brick is accused of assaulting the woman who appeared to be asleep on the Delta flight on March 20, 2023, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington.
In the middle of the flight, Brick “took (her) hand and placed it on his crotch for several minutes” before the plane arrived at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, his plea agreement says.
He also reached underneath her shirt and touched the woman’s breast, according to prosecutors.
Brick, 53, pleaded guilty to abusive sexual contact on March 5, the U.S. attorney’s office announced in a March 8 news release.
McClatchy News contacted Brick’s defense attorneys for comment on March 11 and didn’t receive an immediate response.
It’s unclear whether Brick was working when he’s accused of assaulting the woman.
He no longer works for Delta, according to the airline.
“Delta has zero tolerance for unlawful conduct and will work with law enforcement entities to that end,” Delta told McClatchy News on March 11.
Similar to Brick, two other men answered to charges against them last week in connection with separate assaults aboard flights to Seattle, according to prosecutors.
Another assault aboard a Seattle-bound Delta flight
Another defendant, Jack Roberson, 69, pleaded guilty to simple assault on March 8 in relation to an incident involving a 15-year-old passenger on flight from Atlanta to Seattle, prosecutors said.
On July 16, 2023, Roberson groped the teenager by placing his hand on her thigh and moving his hand under her skirt as she sat next to him on a Delta flight, according to prosecutors, McClatchy News previously reported.
McClatchy News contacted a federal public defender representing him for comment on March 11 and didn’t immediately receive a response.
Roberson was initially charged with abusive sexual contact on an aircraft, the U.S. attorney’s office said July 17.
In an interview with federal investigators after the flight landed, Roberson said he had eight alcoholic beverages prior to boarding the flight to Seattle and drank two double vodka tonics on the flight, according to a complaint filed in federal court.
He told investigators he patted the 15-year-old’s thigh while thanking her for retrieving his headphones before he purportedly fell asleep, the complaint says.
Sentencing hearings for Brick and Roberson are scheduled for June, prosecutors said.
An assault on an Emirates flight to Seattle
On March 8, a third man, Abhinav Kumar, pleaded not guilty in connection with an assault of a teenager on an Emirates flight that landed in Seattle on Feb. 18, 2024, according to the attorney’s office.
The teen, who was traveling with family, was seated in an aisle seat in the same row as Kumar, who was in a window seat, according to an affidavit, which says the row’s middle seat was empty.
About four hours after the flight took off from Dubai, the teen told investigators she awoke to find Kumar pulling her arm toward him and rubbing her fingers, the affidavit says.
“Kumar continued grabbing (her) arm and moved his hands up to (her) forearm and then to their upper arm. (She) attempted to move their hand away but was unable to do so. Kumar then reached through the sleeve of (her) short-sleeve shirt and rubbed the side of their left breast,” according to the affidavit.
Afterward, the teen said she told her mother what happened and they alerted a flight attendant, the affidavit says.
Kumar was arrested when the flight landed, according to prosecutors.
Kumar, 38, a citizen of India, pleaded not guilty to abusive sexual contact on March 8, the attorney’s office said.
McClatchy News contacted his federal public defender for comment on March 11 and didn’t receive an immediate response.
Kumar’s trial is set to begin on May 6, according to prosecutors.
“The Western District of Washington continues to see an alarming increase in sexual abuse cases aboard aircraft,” U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman said in a statement. “Last August we emphasized that we have zero tolerance for such assaults. Sadly, we continue to learn of new allegations and are investigating and charging those cases.”
The FBI investigates sexual misconduct, assaults, interference with flight crew members and thefts that occur on an airplane, according to the agency.
This story was originally published March 11, 2024 at 9:19 AM with the headline "Delta mechanic reached under woman’s shirt as she appeared to sleep on flight, feds say."
.jpg)