Plane Predator Repeatedly Groped Teen During 3-Hour Flight

Federal prosecutors say a teenage girl. flying from Anchorage, Alaska to. Seattle, Washington ended up being. seated next to a predator. Well, now the. man who molested her during that flight, he's going to prison. We're sitting down. with an attorney who litigates on behalf. of sexual assault survivors to analyze. these types of cases. Welcome to. Sidebar, presented by Law and Crime. I'm. Jesse Weber. A 28-year-old man from the tiny town of. Dearing, Alaska is headed for prison. after prosecutors say he went to extreme.

lengths to touch the body of a teenager. seated next to him on a flight from. Alaska to Washington. The US Attorney's. Office for the Western District of. Washington says Trayon Chaz Ballot's. incredibly inappropriate behavior. happened on an Alaska Airlines flight. from Anchorage to Seattle Tacoma in. January of this year. and instead of. continuing on his way when flight 190. landed, he was arrested. Okay, got to. talk about this and to talk about this. the disturbing details in this federal.

complaint. I want to bring in John. Cloon, civil attorney who litigates on. behalf of survivors of sexual assault. John, thanks so much for coming on. One. of the scariest things about this is. obviously where it happened, right? The. victim was seated toward the back of the. plane in a window seat. ballot was. apparently sitting next to her in the. middle. Almost nowhere for this girl to. go. Have you seen something like this. before? >> Unfortunately, yeah. I mean, some of. these cases out of airplanes are. becoming more and more common. I'm not.

sure that the behavior is becoming more. common, but at least the reporting of it. is becoming more common. And a lot of. times it's that window seat because, as. you mentioned, you're really kind of. trapped there, particularly for, you. know, somebody of her age. >> Yeah. Trapped there. There's nowhere to. go. But also so brazen, right? That is a. semi-public area. It's close quarters. You can hear everything. You could see. everything. >> Yeah. And you know, a lot of times there. are offenders that are attracted to. these opportunities to commit offenses. when there are a number of other people.

around them and they have the ability to. get caught. It's part of the deviant. mindset of some of these guys. So, not. surprising, but incredibly disturbing. >> What happened? Okay, let's get into what. happened. Well, once law enforcement got. word about an incident on the plane, that's when the FBI took over the. investigation. By the way, let me just. start right there, John. Is that uh. strange for the FBI to take hold of this. or does that make sense given you're. talking about the an airplane? >> Yeah, because you know when you have. cases that happen on say a you know. Amtrak train or a bus, you can use the. local jurisdiction as the the location.

for the prosecution investigation. But. when it's on an airplane, it's going to. almost always be federal law enforcement. and federal laws are going to apply. So. that's normal. >> Okay. So, according to the investigating. agents report for the criminal. complaint, it states, quote, "The FBI. has been designated as the law. enforcement agency responsible for. investigating crimes that occur on board. an aircraft once the doors have closed. postboarding, including interference. with a flight crew or any physical or. sexual assault." And again, makes sense. The FBI investigates crimes that cross.

state lines and a flight would qualify. Then you go to January 15th. The teen, who's referred to as minor victim 1 or. MV1 in the court filing, had a stranger. seated next to her. The complaint reads, "MV, who is 17 years old, was traveling. with her mother and a friend. MV1 was. sitting in the window seat with Ballot. seated in the middle seat immediately. adjacent to MV1 and MV1's friend sitting. in the aisle seat. About an hour into. the flight, Ballot, who appeared to be. asleep, moved his hand onto MV1's upper.

and inner thigh and began rubbing her. thigh. MV1 moved his hand away. A short. time later, Ballot again put his hand on. MV1's inner thigh and began rubbing. Again, MV1 moved his hand away. A few. minutes later, Ballot again put his hand. on her inner thigh. MV1 again pushed it. away. So, John Ballot tried this again. and again and again. And I wonder if the. goal was, hey, I'm sleeping. I'm not.

realizing what I'm doing or where I'm. going. Is that what the goal was here? >> You mean to kind of mask it as as though. his hands are just kind of wandering in. their sleep? Uh, maybe. I mean, one one. of the one of the ways that offenders. can get away with their crimes is to. engage in behavior that's not overt. It. can be confusing to the victim. You. know, is this person half asleep and not. knowing what's going on? Should I make a. big deal about it? Because if somebody. just flat out, you know, reaches over. and sexually assaults somebody in an.

airplane seat, they're probably going to. yell out. They're probably going to like. call for help. So, if you engage in. behavior that's a little more confusing. to the victim, you have a higher. likelihood of getting away with it. So, that could be part of the the motive. >> And it could be uncomfortable calling. this the flight attendant over and uh. starting a whole scene. Um, but it it's. just so disturbing and so unsettling and. it makes you wonder how brazen it is. Do. you think it is possible he has done. something like this before and just no. one reported it and he didn't get. caught? >> I mean, to use your word, it it is such.

brazen behavior. It seems that it's. unlikely that it's the first time. We. don't know of any other instances, but. it is pretty bold behavior, and that's. usually a sign of somebody who's gotten. to a certain level of comfort with. committing offenses. By the way, here on. Sidebar, we talk about emergency. situations a lot, but what we don't talk. enough about is how to prepare so you. can face anything with confidence. Did. you know that falls are one of the. leading causes of injury for older. Americans? Yeah, one in four experiences. one each year. And getting help fast, that can make all the difference. That.

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to claim your 75% off. Does the airline. have responsibility here? >> They probably don't have legal liability. here. They could have liability if. there's some reason why they should have. known that this was going on. Some of. the cases that we see where the airlines. have liability is when there was a. report that was made to somebody and. that report was ignored and then the the. abuse continued. That doesn't seem like. it's the case here. So So perhaps not. >> Now, we looked into uh Ballot's criminal. history in Alaska and Washington. And in.

November of 2016, he plead guilty to. assault in the fourth degree out in. Alaska. The exact details about it. weren't available on the court website. But in July of 2018, he was charged in. Seattle Municipal Court with harassment. There was no criminal complaint that was. filed. It appears the case was dropped. And then in May of 2022, he was charged. with violating a domestic violence. protection order. That case apparently. is still making its way through Alaska's. judicial court system. John, an airline. is not responsible for knowing. somebody's criminal history and whether.

or not they can they should be. monitoring them, watching them on the. plane. How does that work exactly? >> Yeah, I mean they really don't other. than things that may put them on a do. not fly list um which is probably more. of a TSA issue. Um the airlines don't. have any obligation to vet their. passengers. I mean, they do have some. obligation to be mindful and pay. attention to what's going on on their. airplane, but again, they have to have. some reason to know that something's. going on and then fail to act before. they're going to, you know, have any. real responsibility. We go back to this.

federal complaint. It reads, "Mv1 then. placed a pillow on her thighs and put. the tray table down over the pillow. Ballot moved his hand under the armrest. and tried to place his hand under the. pillow and over her thigh. MV1 pressed. down on the pillow to stop him. He. pulled his hand away. Now, the. prosecutor's office clarified in a press. release about Ballot's conviction that. it was actually a stuffed animal she. used, not a pillow, which is just. another reminder that this is a minor. we're talking about. MV1 then took out.

her phone, typed a message indicating. that the man next to her had touched. her, and got up to show her mother the. message who was seated in the row behind. her. MV1 also showed her friend the. message. Now, John, quick thinking. I. think that it was really, really smart. for her to do. Yeah. And you know, it in in general, it. doesn't seem like um 17-year-olds are, you know, the best targets for offenders. that are looking to get away with. things. I mean, this 17-year-olds are. pretty, you know, high functioning at. that age. But I give her a lot of credit. for thinking of something discreet way.

to, you know, alert her mother without. kind of blowing things up in a way that. might have felt unsafe or scary to her. given the fact that she was kind of. pinned in in that position. >> How important is it to have other people. with her, right, corroborating. witnesses? um for a legal case because. you know if I told you that somebody. you know molested somebody on a plane, touched somebody inappropriately on a. plane, you would think that that seems. so impossible. How on earth there must. be a misunderstanding here and someone.

would do that. Unfortunately, as we'll. get into, yes, these things definitely. do happen. So, is it very very important. to have eyewitnesses, corroborating. witnesses, supporting witnesses there? >> It it is. In, you know, most of these. cases on an airplane, you know, either. you're traveling by yourself or you're. not traveling next to people that are. are close to you. And so, it is just. your word against somebody else's word. The fact that she did that with a phone. and shows it to her mother, that's. incredibly compelling evidence. Like, what what what's the rationale for why. this 17-year-old is showing her mom this.

text message other than this actually. did happen? So, that was that was really. important evidence. >> Um, let's go back to the filing. It. says, quote, her mother told her to let. the flight attendants know. MV1 got up. and tried to shake Ballot, who still. appeared to be asleep, to ask him to. move so she could get out of the row. He. did not appear to awake, and she moved. past him to get out of the row. Now, John, we know how small these airline. seats have gotten, how close together. people are. You can't really move, especially from the window seat. The.

other people don't get up. So, it's like. you have to literally climb over to get. help. That's a really frightening. thought. >> Yeah. And I and I think the, you know, at this point, fortunately, I think the. gig is up. You know, we we have the. flight attendant who's over helping her. at this point. So, but it just is a is a. reminder of just how trapped you can be. in that window scene. >> Then the report continues, quote, she. then found the flight attendant and. reported what had happened. The flight. attendant moved her to another seat. MV1. did not consent to ballot touching her.

thigh at any point in the flight. John, we know the flight crew reported the. assault to law enforcement on the ground. at SeaTac. Ballot was arrested. Was. there anything else the flight attendant. could have done? >> You know, at at at that point, I mean, you're you're not going to you're not. going to restrain the person and you're. trying to, you know, maintain some sense. of order on a a plane. You got to keep. in mind you have all these other. passengers that are either don't know.

what's going on or if they know what's. going on, they don't want a scene. They. don't know if this person's a dangerous. individual. Is he going to react. differently if he's confronted? So, at. this point, it sounds like the protocol. was was followed, which was to remove. the threat to the other passenger and. then just I'm sure they continue to. monitor Mr. Ballot. >> And what kind of training do flight. attendants get? Uh, other than, you. know, everything that goes into how to. prepare for a plane and emergencies, flight, is there sexual assault. training? Is there other other. inappropriate behavior training in terms.

of when you're dealing with uh. passengers who are unruly or maybe. committing a crime? Again, sexually. assaulting somebody, do they get any. kind of training? Do you know? >> Yeah, I don't I don't know the answer to. that. It certainly seems like um between. sexual assault and all the other things. that we see with unruly passengers that. we all have the benefit of watching. thanks to phones and um and social. media. Um I I'm I'm sure there is, but I. don't I don't know what that is. So. Ballot was indicted on one count of. abusive sexual contact. The complaint.

reads, "Trightton Ballot did knowingly. and intentionally engage in sexual. contact with minor victim one, that is. touch minor victim 1's inner thigh. multiple times without minor victim 1's. permission and with the intent to abuse, humiliate, degrade, and arouse, and. gratify the sexual desire of any person. Does that feel like the appropriate. charge based on that uh pattern of. facts?". >> It does. Yeah. And you'll notice that. it's not it's not sexual contact with. any you know particular um you know.

sexualized body part or reproductive. organs but any kind of contact of any. nature that's done for the purpose of. that sexual gratification is going to. apply. So that that is the right count. >> John according to prosecutors this jury. they deliberated for about an hour. before convicting him. Is that. surprising to you? >> It's short but you know that the. evidence seems pretty strong here. So, I'm not surprised, but that's a it's a. short period of time for for a serious. verdict. >> Our understanding also is that this. charge carries a sentence of up to 2. years in prison if he were to get that.

much. Is that long enough? >> It certainly doesn't feel like it. I. mean, you're sexually assaulting a child. in a pretty bold and brazen way. Sometimes with particularly with federal. charges, you know, keep in mind that. normally sexual abuse cases are are. filed under state charges. So we have a. whole different range of options and. probably longer lengths of punishment. under state charges because that's just. normally the system that we use for. sexual abuse. Feds have fewer charges to. choose from. And so this was although.

the right one, you know, may not be one. that gives enough punishment, you know, for the crime, especially with the prior. assault conviction. >> Is this going to deter behavior like. this in the future? >> No, I don't think so. I mean, I think. that, you know, what we've seen with sex. offenders is punishment generally does. not equate to deterrence. The hopefully. there is sex offense specific counseling. that he gets while he's in prison. That. has some limited benefit to it. But as. much as anything, it's just a punitive. aspect for bad behavior. Whether it.

actually fixes or prevents other. assaults is probably less um the focus. And this is not an isolated incident. According to FBI stats from 2023, airport liaison agents, they opened 96. cases related to in-flight sexual. assault. And earlier this year, a woman. identified as Barbara Morgan filed a. lawsuit against American Airlines, alleging that the company allowed a. passenger with a known history of. misconduct to sexually assault her on a. flight last year. She says she was. seated next to Cherion Abraham, who she. claims groped her repeatedly. According.

to court documents, Abraham has a. reported history of touching women. inappropriately on airlines. The DOJ. charged Abraham with abusive sexual. conduct. His case is ongoing. Now, John, aside from the stats that are quite. alarming, does this case feel different? Does the Abraham case feel different. where an airline could uh be liable? Well, I mean it goes it goes I mean it. goes back to the concept of you know. what's the airlines duty to make sure.

that people are safe on their airplanes. So far with cases that have been out. there's not been any finding that. airlines have a duty to vet their. passengers just generally before they're. on their flight. So the fact that they. have this prior history of conduct. unless it's you know somehow on the same. airline then they're probably not going. to have liability for that. But if you. know again if there's something that the. staff notices like during the flight and. then they don't respond to it then there. can be liability. But it's certainly I. mean the the Abraham case is certainly. more aggravated series of facts given.

the history. >> But but that's not flagged by an airline. right if you have a guy who is doing. this on airlines before or has engaged. in this kind of conduct. It's just not. flagged. It's just not on the record. By. the way you dealt with a similar. incident but this was on a Greyhound. bus. Right. I did and it was a young a. believe she was nine at the time and it. was a mom traveling with her two kids. and mom sat on one side of the you know. it's two seats on a side on a Greyhound. bus. Mom sat with one kid and then her.

other kid was just across the aisle so. only about a foot and a half away from. her and unfortunately the person sitting. next to that kid was a previously. convicted sex offender who repeated his. behavior on her. >> And what happened what happened with the. case? So, uh, so it was it was a it was. an interesting case because we didn't. know who the person was because it. wasn't reported by the kid until later. that night, but but remarkably, they. were able to find who the individual. was. U, he went to trial and he was. convicted and he was he was sentenced to.

10 years in prison. >> Similar type of touching to to what we. have in this underlying case. >> And what about Greyhound? What was their. take on what happened? >> So, they didn't make any statements. I. was a prosecutor at the time, so I. didn't deal with with Greyhound, but I I. don't know that Greyhound had any. particular liability there, but. certainly a disturbing set of facts. >> I don't know what's going on. It's. crazy. It's crazy to be thinking about. Uh John Cloon, thank you so much for. taking the time. Sorry this is the case. that we're talking about, but clearly, you know, unfortunately, you you have.

experience in this area. You see this. happening uh on different modes of. transportation. Just everybody try to be. safe out there. I don't know what they I. don't even know how to prevent something. like this. But John, thank you so much. >> You bet, Joseph. Good to see you. >> All right, everybody. That is all we. have for you right now here on Sidebar. Thank you so much for joining us and as. always, please subscribe on YouTube, Apple Podcast, Spotify, wherever you. should get your podcast. You can follow. me on Instagram or X. I'm Jesse Weber. I'll see you next time. [Music].