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Man allegedly sexually harassed woman on flight to Michigan

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Man allegedly sexually harassed woman on flight to Michigan

A man was arrested after being accused of sexually assaulting a woman on a flight from Virginia to Michigan.

Photo by Unsplash.

A man was arrested after being accused of sexually assaulting a woman on a flight from Virginia to Michigan, federal officials say.

According to a criminal complaint, a woman sat next to 21-year-old Randal Wetzel on a flight from Dulles, Virginia, to Detroit, Michigan, on July 1.

No contact information for Wetzel’s attorney was listed in the court records.

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Before the plane took off, Wetzel began a conversation with the woman. Then, shortly after takeoff, Wetzel placed his hand on the woman’s thigh, according to court documents.

To end the conversation with Wetzel, the woman began watching a movie, but he asked if he could watch the film with her, officials said.

“While watching the movie, Wetzel placed his head on her shoulder and chest and began rubbing her leg,” court documents say.

Wetzel is also accused of touching the woman on her back and bottom.

The woman “was frightened and remained rooted to her seat,” the complaint states.

Wetzel then asked the woman if he could kiss her, but she made up excuses to convince him that was a bad idea, officials said. However, court records show Wetzel kissed the woman for several seconds before the woman pushed him away.

He asked her for another kiss, to which she did not respond, and he kissed her again, court records say.

According to court documents, Wetzel then touched the woman’s genitals through her clothing before the woman asked him to stop. However, he continued to touch her and also tried to reach into her shorts.

At one point during the flight, the woman mouthed the word “help” to another passenger in the row behind her, the documents say.

The passenger called the flight crew, who moved Wetzel, court documents say.

After the plane landed, airport police spoke with Wetzel, the woman and the passenger. Wetzel told them he was not surprised to see police officers after the flight, the complaint states.

According to police, Wetzel admitted to kissing the woman, but he said she gave him permission. However, he said she gave him excuses as to why he was not allowed to kiss her, but he did it anyway because he “could tell she wanted him to,” according to court records.

Eventually, he also admitted to touching the woman’s genitals, officials said.

According to documents, his bail was set at $10,000.

Profile picture of Jennifer Rodriguez

Jennifer Rodriguez is a real-time national reporter for McClatchy covering the Central and Midwest regions. She joined McClatchy in 2023 after covering local news in Youngstown, Ohio for over six years. Jennifer has achieved several accomplishments in her journalism career, including the Robert R. Hare Award in English, the Emerging Leader Justice and Equality Award, the Regional Edward R. Murrow Award, and the Distinguished Hispanic Ohioan Award.

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