A former Army soldier has been sentenced to one year in prison for committing sexual assault against two teenagers during flights to Seattle.
Based on court documents, James Benecke, a 42-year-old former chief warrant officer, allegedly engaged in inappropriate behavior with a 16-year-old girl and an 18-year-old on separate flights to Seattle, which occurred two months apart.
In July 2023, Benecke was indicted and later pleaded guilty to engaging in abusive sexual contact while aboard an aircraft in April 2024.
In April 2023, Benecke made inappropriate physical contact with the 16-year-old while they were seated next to each other on the flight.
In June 2023, during a flight from Dallas to Seattle, Benecke made inappropriate physical contact with an 18-year-old passenger seated next to him. Based on court documents, it was reported that the victim’s boyfriend was present during the assault and promptly informed the crewmembers about what happened.
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Benecke was interviewed by law enforcement upon the plane’s arrival in Seattle. He was subsequently apprehended at his home base, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, approximately one month later.
In the plea agreement, Benecke confessed that he deliberately committed both incidents “for his sexual arousal.”
There has been an increase in incidents of sexual assaults on airplanes nationwide. According to the FBI, there has been a significant rise in investigations of sexual misconduct on planes between 2019 and 2021, with a 25% increase. Last year, there were 27 investigations into cases of sexual misconduct. By 2022, the number of investigations had increased to 90, and by 2023, it had further risen to 96.
Based on information from the FBI, it has been found that the majority of individuals involved in these incidents are male. Their targets tend to be women, unaccompanied minors, and individuals who consume medication or alcohol to relax during their flight.
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