PHOENIX (AP) — An Arizona man has been indicted in Alaska on a federal charge of abusive sexual contact involving a 16-year-old girl who was seated next to him on a flight from Phoenix to Anchorage.
Federal prosecutors accuse 58-year-old Kepueli Talaiasi of Mesa of touching the girl as she sat in a middle seat between him and his adult son, who slept during most of the flight.
Prosecutors asked for continued detention of Talaiasi, saying he posed a threat to potential seatmates if he flew home to Arizona pending trial.
Online court records don't list an attorney for Talaiasi who might comment on his behalf.
