SEATTLE — A man who allegedly exposed himself four times while on a Southwest Airlines flight from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport to Phoenix, Arizona on April 2 was arrested and could face charges related to lewd, indecent, or obscene acts.
A criminal complaint was filed against the suspect, who could be charged with a misdemeanor, fined, and face time in jail.
During Southwest Airlines Flight 3814, the suspect exposed and touched himself "during the first hour of the flight, starting shortly after takeoff," a female passenger sitting next to him told law enforcement.
The witness took pictures of the suspect before moving to another seat after the man fell asleep, according to a criminal complaint.
During an interview with the suspect, he admitted to FBI special agents that he had touched himself during the flight, according to the criminal complaint. He told agents he knew the woman sitting next to him was aware of what was going on, according to the complaint.
According to the criminal complaint, the suspect told agents he asked the witness if she minded if he touched himself and she "put her hands in the air and said, 'It really doesn't matter.'" The suspect told agents he did "not think the female witness was uncomfortable with" what he was doing, according to the complaint.
Southwest Airlines issued the following statement:
"On April 2, we received reports of inappropriate Customer behavior on flight 3814 from SEA to PHX. The situation was reported to Crewmembers while inflight, and the Captain contacted law enforcement to meet the aircraft upon arrival. We immediately placed the passenger on our No-Fly List, resulting in a lifetime ban from traveling on Southwest."