MIAMI – An Ohio man was arrested in Florida over the weekend after being accused of groping two female flight attendants and punching a male flight attendant during a flight from Philadelphia to Miami, officials said.
Maxwell Berry, 22, of Norwalk, Ohio, was arrested Saturday at Miami International Airport and charged with three counts of misdemeanor battery, according to a Miami-Dade police report.
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Berry had two drinks while on the Frontier Airlines flight and ordered another drink, police said. Berry brushed an empty cup against the backside of a flight attendant, who then told him not to touch her, officials said. At some point, Berry spilled a drink on his shirt, went to the bathroom and came out shirtless, the report said. A flight attendant helped him get another shirt from his carry-on.
Police said that, after walking around for 15 minutes, Berry allegedly grabbed the chests of two female flight attendants. They called a male flight attendant over to watch Berry, who punched him in the face, officials said. The flight attendant and nearby passengers restrained Berry in a seat with duct tape and a seatbelt extender, the report said.
Frontier Airlines released a statement saying that they are working with law enforcement to prosecute the passenger. The flight attendants have been placed on paid leave pending an investigation.
Berry was freed on $1,500 bond. Online court records didn’t list an attorney.
Meanwhile, a Florida woman is facing multiple charges after police say they took her off a plane at the Rapid City Regional Airport for exposing herself and becoming unruly.
Mistie Justice Watkins, 41, of Daytona Beach Shores, was arrested on charges of disorderly conduct, indecent exposure, assaulting a law enforcement officer and unlawful occupancy, the Rapid City Journal reported.
The Federal Aviation Administration says there have been 3,615 unruly passenger reports in a year-to-date analysis, many of which are related to wearing face masks.