Man Charged With Sex Assault On Delta Flight

ATLANTA, GA — A man from Maine has been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges that he sexually assaulted a woman during a Delta flight to Atlanta.

William Charles Pelletier, 35, is charged with abusive sexual contact, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Atlanta announced Wednesday.

According to prosecutors, Pelletier was on a Nov. 10, 2017 flight from Charlottesville, Va., to Atlanta. Several passengers reported that he was being verbally abusive and unruly during the flight, prosecutors said.

As the flight was nearing landing, Pelletier is accused of throwing a pretzel bag at woman sitting directly in front of him. She ignored him but, seconds later, he reached around her seat and put a cupped hand on her breast, the indictment says.

A passenger sitting next to Pelletier saw what happened and asked a flight attendant to call police. Pelletier was arrested when the flight arrived in Atlanta.

"This conduct is unacceptable, and anyone who chooses to act in this manner will be prosecuted," said U.S. Attorney Byung J. "BJay" Pak. "Citizens deserve to feel protected from sexual assault and should not have to fear this happening to them while traveling."

The case is being investigated by the FBI and the Atlanta Police Department. No arraignment date had been set Wednesday for Pelletier, who is from Andover, Maine.

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