Alaska Man Convicted Of Continuously Molesting Minor Girl On Plane
Airplanes pose unexpected dangers for minors who are seated away from their families. A man from Alaska was convicted after molesting a minor girl on a plane in an incident that happened earlier this year. Keep reading for the details and how to keep your minor children safe when traveling by air.
Alaska Man Convicted Of Continuously Molesting Minor Girl On Plane
A young girl, 17, was traveling from Anchorage, Alaska, to the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport with her mother and a friend in early January. The travelers were seated separately, with the mother sitting in the row behind her daughter.
The unnamed victim was molested repeatedly by a stranger sitting next to her on the plane. The man, later identified as Trayton Ballot, 28, first put his hand on the underage girl’s thigh. Moving his hand didn’t deter him, and he tried it again. The young girl again rebuffed being touched but the man put his hand on her thigh again.
The 17-year-old then put her tray down and tried to block the man’s hand with a stuffed animal. At that point, she used her phone to write a message and showed it to her mother in the row behind her.
The girl’s mom told her to call a flight attendant. The flight attendant moved her to another seat to get away from the creepy guy who wouldn’t stop touching her. The police were waiting when the flight landed and the suspect was taken into custody.
According to PEOPLE magazine, the case went before a jury this week. After only an hour of deliberating, Trayton Ballot was found guilty of abusive sexual contact. He returns to court in December to get his sentence, which could be up to two years in prison.
How To Keep Minors Safe When Flying Solo
Now that airlines charge to purchase a specific seat, many flyers leave it up to chance. That means many families aren’t seated together on flights. That can be scary for anyone flying with a minor, especially with the rise of misconduct from other passengers.
The first thing parents can do to keep their children safe during flights is to politely ask to change seats. Many flyers are more than happy to change seats to let parents sit with their children. But if that’s not possible, talk to your children beforehand and let them know what to do if a stranger acts inappropriately.
- Move away: Try to move away from the perpetrator if possible.
- Call the flight attendant: Contact the flight attendant. They will handle relocating to another seat and have the police waiting on arrival if necessary.
- File police report: If the police don’t act immediately, file a police report.
Once the plane lands, the victim should seek medical attention if needed.
Flying can be unnerving for many reasons. Knowing what to do in the event of inappropriate touching is important for women and men of all ages, but especially minors.
