Man Accused of Fondling Teenager Aboard Flight
A 13-year-old girl traveling Wednesday as an unaccompanied minor from Dallas to Portland says she spent the first part of her flight “frightened and trapped” and the remainder of it too scared to even use the bathroom after a 26-year-old OR man seated next to her allegedly groped her, KOIN reports.
When Camp exited the plane, he was detained by Port of Portland officials and then arrested by FBI agents, according to a statement from the bureau.
When the flight attendants offered Camp another seat, he replied, “No, I’m fine”, an Federal Bureau of Investigation agent wrote in the criminal complaint.
As he spoke to the girl, the criminal complaint alleges Camp against her, nudged her, touched her with his elbow and placed his hands on her knee and upper thigh. Finally, a flight attendant who was serving drinks saw Camp’s hand on the girl’s crotch and “a single tear coming down the victim’s cheek”, according to the complaint. Authorities were called and he was arrested when the flight landed.
The girl told investigators that she felt “frightened and trapped” during the incident, CNN affiliate KOIN reported.
The girl’s mother – who asked to remain anonymous – said her daughter was traveling as an unaccompanied minor on the flight from D/FW International Airport to Oregon. She ordered Camp to move to a seat at the back of the plane, and moved the girl up several rows towards the front.
The man, Chad Cameron Camp, has been charged with abusive sexual contact.
According to a criminal complaint acquired by The Washington Post, flight staff had offered to move Camp, but he said he was fine.
An attorney for the victim’s family described how the teen is doing after the incident.
But Camp just laughed and tried again, according to the complaint.
“She is already saying she doesn’t want to be on an airplane ever again”, Goodfellow also told KOIN.
“They didn’t make him move, they let him sit there until she was abused for 30 minutes”, he said.
According to the airline’s website, adults can pay an extra $150 for “unaccompanied minor service” for children aged 5-17.
“American cares deeply about our young passengers and is committed to providing a safe and pleasant travel experience for them”.
The girl’s father paid an additional $300 round-trip for her to visit him.