Man Accused Of Sex Assault Tried To Board One-Way Flight From Philly To Germany: Customs

PHILADELPHIA — A man accused of sexually assaulting a woman in Maine was arrested Sunday at Philadelphia International Airport while trying to board a flight to Germany, authorities said.

In April, Matthew Thomas Cooley was arrested on sexual assault charges in Solol, Maine — where he lives — according to CentralMaine.com reporting.

Law enforcement accused him of sexually assaulting a woman twice in the prior six months and then pepper-spraying police when they arrested him, the news outlet says.

The 41-year-old was jailed in Somerset County, Maine, where he's still facing those charges. It's unclear when he was released.

On Sunday, Cooley tried to board a flight to Frankfurt on a one-way ticket, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. But Customs officers stopped him at the departure gate.

The officers confirmed that Cooley was wanted as a fugitive out of Maine.

He was turned over to Titicum Township Police and then jailed in Delaware County as he awaited extradition to Maine. That extradition was approved in court on Tuesday, public records show.

Cooley didn't have a listed attorney in online records who Patch could contact for comment.