Spirit Airlines passenger accused of inappropriately touching woman on flight
DETROIT -- A Spirit Airlines passenger was jailed after a fellow passenger said she was sexually assaulted while asleep on a flight from Las Vegas to Detroit. A federal criminal complaint shows Prabhu Ramamoorthy has been charged with aggravated sexual abuse.
The 22-year-old woman told authorities that she was in a window seat and awoke to a man sexually assaulting her. She said her pants and blouse were unbuttoned.
According to CBS Detroit, the woman said Ramamoorthy had his hand down her pants when she woke up. Visibly shaken and in tears, she immediately notified flight attendants.
The complaint says Ramamoorthy told an FBI agent that he tried to touch the woman inappropriately. He later changed his story, saying he might have undone the woman's bra "while playing with it."
Ramamoorthy was arrested and arraigned Wednesday after the plane landed at Detroit Metropolitan Airport in Romulus.
An attorney assigned to the case noted that Ramamoorthy is not a U.S. citizen. Ramamoorthy has requested for the government to contact the Indian consulate on his behalf.
He appeared Thursday in U.S. District Court in Detroit for a detention hearing. A Jan. 17 preliminary examination has been set.