Dennis Woodbury was indicted with a felony on Thursday (May 1) for one count of abusive sexual contact after the 49-year-old allegedly slapped a JetBlue flight attendant’s butt and exposed himself to a second crew member.
According to a statement from the United States Attorney’s Office, the incident took place on an April 13 flight from Fort Lauderdale, Florida to Los Angeles. Woodbury, who’s an ex-California Highway Patrol captain, was allegedly “drinking heavily” during the flight. After spanking one male attendant’s butt and showing him pornographic imagery, Woodbury reportedly exposed his genitalia.
“Woodbury showed one of the flight attendants a photograph of a dog. The picture contained pornographic imagery in the background. Woodbury later told one of the flight attendants that he should go on a cruise with him then made a crude hand gesture,” the statement read.
It continued, “Just after meal service and while the plane was still in the air, the second flight attendant collected passengers’ meal trays and walked past Woodbury. Woodbury, who had been drinking heavily, then used his left hand to slap the victim’s buttocks. Woodbury then yelled that he loved him.” He then requested more wine, but was denied and in turn, allegedly exposed himself again. Both flight attendants told authorities they didn’t consent to his advances.
Following the ordeal, JetBlue made a statement to PEOPLE. “At JetBlue, the safety of our customers and crewmembers is our top priority. The incident occurred on April 13, and we took immediate action at that time by notifying law enforcement. We have zero tolerance for the behavior alleged and continue to assist and cooperate fully with authorities in this case,” it read.
Woodbury was released on a $50,000 bond following his first court appearance in April. He’s set to be arraigned on May 12 in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles. If found guilty, he faces a maximum sentence of two years in federal prison.
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