Crime & Safety
Man Sexually Assaults Woman On Flight To Detroit, Says He Was Asleep: Feds
Although the man claimed he was sleeping, officials believe he knowingly engaged in sexual contact with the woman without her permission.
DETROIT, MI — Federal officials accused a man of sexually assaulting a 19-year-old woman on a Delta flight to Detroit last fall, despite his claim that he was asleep, according to a criminal complaint.
Officials said Dektash Sefa was sitting next to the woman on a Delta flight to Detroit Metro Airport from Amsterdam, Netherlands on Oct. 10, 2021. Sefa tried talking to the woman before boarding the plane, but she ignored him, according to the criminal complaint.
About two hours into the eight-hour flight, the woman told officials she woke up and felt Sefa's hand on her knee, massaging the area, according to the criminal complaint.
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As the woman tried shifting her body away from Sefa, he moved closer to her and began touching her inner thigh and groin area, while also adjusting his arm position, so that his right elbow was pressing against her breast, according to the criminal complaint.
That's when the woman ran to the bathroom and reported the sexual assault to two flight attendants, according to the criminal complaint.
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The two flight attendants said the woman was visibly shaking and crying, and was so scared that she could barely explain the incident, according to the criminal complaint. The flight attendants moved the woman's seat and alerted authorities.
Along with an Albanian interpreter, Sefa was interviewed by authorities at the McNamara Terminal inside Detroit Metro Airport, according to the complaint. Officials said he cooperated and denied touching the woman, but said he has nightmares and that his hands move a lot while he sleeps.
Sefa also told officials that he sometimes sleepwalks, according to the complaint.
However, federal officials believe Sefa knowingly engaged in sexual contact with the woman without her permission, "with the intent to harass, arouse, and gratify (his) sexual desire."
Sefa faces abusive sexual contact charges. A preliminary examination was scheduled for May 10 at 1 p.m. before Judge Anthony P. Patti.
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