U.S. authorities charged a Texas woman with allegedly physically assaulting a flight attendant who asked her husband to put on his mask. If convicted, the passenger could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison.
Woman assaults flight attendant who asked her husband to put on mask
On July 29, Debby Dutton, 50, and her husband were traveling from Alaska to San Francisco on a four-and-a-half-hour United Airlines flight.
With about an hour to go before landing, after repeated announcements about the federally mandated mask requirement, a flight attendant awakened a sleeping passenger whose mask had fallen off.
The man, who was Dutton’s husband standing next to her, obeyed the order.
However, Dutton did not take kindly to it and, according to the complainant’s affidavit, got up from her seat and angrily yelled at the flight attendant, who attempted to explain that the passenger was not wearing a mask.
The defendant continued walking towards the flight attendant and began to push her. The complainant stated that she “was taken by surprise and felt threatened and frightened” and described the assault as “painful and forceful,” according to the statement.
Once the passenger was calmed by her husband and the attack stopped, the flight attendant immediately informed the captain.
Subsequently, after the flight landed, law enforcement officers interviewed several passengers who saw or heard part of the incident.
According to the release, Dutton has been charged with interference by assaulting, threatening or intimidating flight crew members or attendants, a charge that carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine.
