A man sitting between his wife and a female passenger on board a Spirit Airlines flight is facing charges for allegedly touching the woman sitting next to him in a sexual manner while she was asleep.
On January 3, Prabhu Ramamoorthy and his wife were passengers of a flight between Las Vegas and Detroit. Ramamoorthy was situated in between his wife and a woman on the other side of him who was occupying the window seat. The woman reportedly fell asleep, and when she woke from her nap she found her clothing was undone and Ramamoorthy had his hand inside of her pants. She stated that when he realized she was awake he ceased touching her.
According to the official complaint, the 22-year-old woman then located flight attendants to alert them about what had happened. When she approached them she was crying and her clothing was still undone. The woman was kept in the back of the plane until a seat away from Ramamoorthy was located, and she switched to the new spot for the remainder of the flight.
When the plane landed 34-year-old Ramamoorthy, who lives in the U.S. on a temporary visa, was met by law enforcement and taken into custody. He was charged with aggravated sexual abuse, and he was held with no bail ordered after the prosecution argued that he posed a flight risk and a danger to others.
Ramamoorthy submitted a written statement reporting that he had taken medication and was sleeping during the flight, and the only physical contact he was aware of between himself and the victim was when his wife had told him that the woman had been sleeping on his knees. His wife’s statement to authorities was said to be similar to the one Ramamoorthy had given.
According to his attorney, Ramamoorthy does not appear to have had any incidents prior to this that would suggest this type of behavior, and he stated, “I have a hard time with some of these allegations, but that’s what a trial is for.”
If you or someone you love is suspected of a sexual offense, contact Orange County criminal defense lawyer Staycie R. Sena at (949) 477-8088 for a consultation now.