A routine flight from Anchorage to Seattle turned into a criminal case that ended in federal court Thursday, when a Deering, Alaska, man was convicted for abusing a 17-year-old girl in the air on January 15, 2025. Trayton C. Ballot, 29, was sentenced to 18 months in prison followed by 10 years of supervised release. Prosecutors said the youngster, who was traveling with her mother and a friend, pushed his hand away during the encounter and then texted her mother. The case is one of several recent in-flight sexual misconduct prosecutions filed by federal authorities in Seattle.
Sentence and reaction
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According to KING 5, Ballot was sentenced to 18 months in jail, credit for time served, and a decade of supervised release. FBI Seattle’s Special Agent in Charge W. Mike Herrington congratulated the woman and her mother for reporting the incident, emphasizing that sexual misbehavior on aircraft is a federal felony, according to the outlet.
What prosecutors say
According to court records obtained by PEOPLE, prosecutors claim Ballot placed his hand on the girl’s inner thigh three times throughout the flight. The girl shoved his hand away, then dropped the tray table and slid a pillow across her lap to shield him. She sent a message to her mother about what was going on, and her mother told her to notify flight attendants. Officers arrested Ballot when the jet landed at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on January 15, 2025, according to a U.S. Attorney’s news release reported by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Federal law and local trend
Abusive sexual intercourse aboard an aircraft is a federal felony punishable by up to two years in jail, according to prosecutors’ charging documents and remarks. According to a Justice Department press release, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington has witnessed a significant increase in alleged in-flight sexual misbehavior and has filed numerous similar cases recently.
Reporting and support
According to authorities, victims and witnesses should report in-flight wrongdoing to the flight crew, Port of Seattle police, local law enforcement, or the FBI, which has confirmed that it is investigating this matter. According to local reporting and government remarks, prosecutors and agents praised the adolescent for reporting the touch, and the sentencing demonstrates that federal authorities consider unwelcome sexual contact aboard aircraft to be a severe offense.
