A Florida man told authorities he groped a woman's breast without her consent aboard a Southwest Airlines flight because accused sexual predator President Donald Trump has said "it's OK to grab women by their private parts," according to a criminal complaint.
Federal officials say Bruce Alexander, 49, was on a Houston, TX flight bound for Albuquerque, NM when he allegedly touched a sleeping woman in the window seat directly in front of him. The woman, who has not been identified, said she felt someone grab her breast around the "bra line" without her consent after she fell asleep at the beginning of the flight.
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She thought the hand had touched her by accident until she was groped again about half-an-hour later. She told authorities that this time the person groping her grabbed the back of her arm and then made his way to grab her breast again. The woman described that hand that touched her as having thick, hairy fingers and dirty fingernails. Authorities say the description matches Alexander's hand.
The woman told officials that after being groped for the second time, she rose up from her seat and confronted Alexander directly, asking him why he thought it was acceptable to touch her without her consent. She went on to ask a flight crew member to be seated elsewhere.
Alexander was arrested by uniformed officers when the flight landed in Albuquerque. According to the criminal complaint, that's when Alexander "stated the President of the United States says it's OK to grab women by their private parts." The man was making reference to the remarks made by Trump at the infamous Access Hollywood tape, where he openly boasted about sexually assaulting women.
"You know, I’m automatically attracted to beautiful, I just start kissing them. It’s like a magnet. Just kiss. I don’t even wait. And when you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything," Trump, who's been accused of sexual misconduct by at least 19 women, said on the tape. He added: "Grab them by the pussy. You can do anything."
Alexander was charged with abusive sexual contact and will appear before court Tuesday. If convicted, he could be sentenced to up to two years in prison and required to pay a $250,000 fine.