ORLANDO, Fla — A man is accused of molesting a teenage girl on a flight from Los Angeles to Orlando, according to court documents.
Authorities said Brian Durning, 51, sat in the aisle seat of the Delta Flight 2954 from LA to Orlando on the morning of June 24.
Durning told detectives he had "one or two beers" in the airport before departure, boarded the plane, took an Ambien pill and had a glass of white wine before falling asleep during the flight.
However, the young girl sitting next to him told the U.S. Marshals office a different story, according to an affidavit.
The girl told authorities while they were in flight, Durning began to cough and sneeze on her, according to court documents. She also reported that he then began to touch her hair and neck.
She continued, reporting that he tried to put his arm around her but she leaned away, the court documents say. Additionally, she accused him of putting his hand on her inner left thigh and called her "honey-boo."
The woman sitting next to the teen girl on the window seat told investigators she slept for some time on the flight, but upon waking up from a nap did notice Durning quickly moved his hand away from the teen's thigh, court records show.
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The woman offered to switch seats with the young girl who was crying, called for a flight attendant and for the girl's mother who was sitting two rows ahead with a younger child. During that time, the woman reportedly told authorites that Durning also attempted to grope her as she was sitting next to him.
The young girl's mother confronted Durning in which she told authorities she also noticed his pants zipper was down, according to the affidavit.
Durning claimed he only remembered someone waking him up and asking him to switch seats during the flight. The 51-year-old is facing a federal charge of sexual contact with a minor.
