Airline mechanic sentenced for sexually abusing sleeping woman on an airplane
(Facsimile of a woman sleeping aboard an airplane, Image credit: RDW Productions)
A disturbing story about a sexual predator on an airplane came out of Seattle, Washington, when on June 24, a commercial airline mechanic was sentenced to six months in prison plus five years of supervised release for abusive sexual contact aboard an aircraft. Duane Brick, 53, pleaded guilty to that charge on March 5. At his sentencing hearing on Monday, District Judge James H. Chun said, “This was a serious and frightening crime…. He was clearly a predator. He checked to see if she was responsive and when she was not, he continued the abuse.”
Reportedly, Brick was on a March 20, 2023, flight from Phoenix to Seattle. He was seated in a middle seat, with the 24-year-old victim in the window seat. The victim was anxious about flying and had taken an anti-anxiety medication. After politely tolerating Brick’s attempt at small talk, the victim put on her headphones and closed her eyes to try to relax.
She fell asleep and awoke to find Brick had grabbed her hand and placed and pressed it on his crotch. The victim was frozen in shock.
Brick then tapped the victim on the face, head, arm, and breast to see if she was fully asleep. He reached under her shirt and bra and groped her breast. Brick pulled out the victim’s shirt and reached toward her waistband in an attempt to put his hands down her trousers. She pushed his hand away and said “no.” She turned her body away.
Despite that, Brick tried two more times to reach into her pants.
In court on June 24. Assistant United States Attorney Grace Zoller said the assault was “intentional, methodical, and prolonged… it took place over many minutes. He knew she was not consenting and when he was caught, he blamed her.”
A witness in the aisle seat reported what he saw happening to the flight crew. The victim told the flight crew she wanted law enforcement called to meet the plane. However, the flight attendants failed to do that. Brick was an employee of their airline. Brick claimed to them that the touching was accidental. Brick, as an airline employee, was allowed to leave the plane quickly when it landed at Seattle.
The victim did report the assault. Brick was indicted April 12, 2023. His employment with the airline was terminated.
The FBI investigated this case. NBC News, King-5 shared that according to the FBI, most perpetrators in these kinds of cases are men – and those men target women, unaccompanied minors and those who take medication or drink alcohol to relax during the flight. According to Fox-13 in Seattle, Brick confessed that he assaulted the young woman for his own sexual gratification. He could have been sentenced to a maximum of two-years behind bars.
Here are some tips from the FBI on how to stay safe:
- Always keep the seat’s armrest down.
- Be wary of “accidental touches.” Some offenders will test people multiple times to see how they react before an assault.
- Alert flight crews of any incidents as quickly as possible.
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(Source: FBI)
(Cover photo: Facsimile image of an airline mechanic, Image credit: RDW Productions)
Posted by Richard Webster, Ace News Today
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