SEATTLE — A man was arrested in Alaska after allegedly assaulting his wife over her getting a seat upgrade on a flight from Seattle to Anchorage last week.
Roger Holmberg was charged with assault after an incident on an Alaska Airlines flight on July 2. Per an affidavit reviewed by KING 5, the crew on board the flight became aware that a male passenger had struck a female passenger. Alaska Airlines told KING 5 that he was banned from its flights due to the incident.
A witness reported to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) that they first saw Holmberg say to his wife, "How the hell did you get the upgrade?" She is said to have replied that she is a "gold point member" and told Holmberg not to speak to her that way, per the affidavit.
The same witness said Holmberg later "handed his phone to victim from aisle, told victim to read that, and then gave victim the finger." The witness then told investigators that Holmberg "attempted to swing his arm towards victim" and hit her on the top of the head.
The victim told investigators that he had a history of being abusive and had broken her finger in a previous incident. She said he had hit her with the back of his knuckles on her head while she was seated in the first-class cabin.
Holmberg was later interviewed and said he and his wife, who live in Virginia, were traveling to Alaska to meet a friend for an event related to their ministry. He told investigators that his wife "was disrespectful to him often and had anger issues." He testified that she had broken her finger grabbing his leg while he was driving, the affidavit states.
He said that he was upset his wife had been upgraded without him because he wanted to sit next to her and said he had no intention of hurting her.
Holmberg was arrested for simple assault upon arrival in Anchorage and was taken to the Anchorage Correctional Center. Court documents say Holmberg was released on July 8 on his own recognizance.