ORLANDO, Fla. – A registered sex offender is facing federal charges after being accused of groping a 17-year-old on a flight heading to Orlando, according to a criminal complaint from the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida.
On July 29, around 9:17 a.m., Orlando police were dispatched to Gate 27 at Orlando International Airport in reference to an incident that happened on a Spirit Airlines flight that originated from Indianapolis, Indiana.
According to the criminal complaint, the victim asked the person, who was sitting in a window seat, to take a photograph of the view. Another passenger, later identified as 65-year-old John Daniel Fowler, asked the victim if she could send him the photograph. After Fowler gave his phone number to the teen, he “continued to try having a conversation with her, but she did not want to engage in conversation with him and shut the conversations down.”
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Investigators also said that during the flight, Fowler has his hand over the teen’s seat several times and each time, the girl moved his hand away from her.
As the plane neared Orlando, the teen said she was asleep under a blanket with her feet up on her seat, according to the complaint. After the plane landed but before the cabin doors opened, she awoke to find Fowler’s hand under the blanket, touching her privates, the affidavit states.
The victim “screamed until she caught the attention of a flight attendant who immediately relocated her to the front of the aircraft and relocated Fowler to the rear of the aircraft.”
According to the complaint, Orlando police interviewed Fowler at the gate and he stated that he only reached down to grab the victim’s Thermos and on the way up, his arm touched her leg.
Investigators said that before boarding the flight in Indianapolis, Fowler became upset after being charged a $100 fee for oversized luggage, according to the complaint. He reacted by saying he hoped the plane would crash. Fowler later apologized and was permitted to board the aircraft bound for Orlando.
Fowler was convicted of sexual battery in 2023 for sexually assaulting a sleeping victim in her home, the complaint stated.
Officials said Fowler faces charges of abusive sexual contact by a registered sex offender in the latest incident.
Spirit Airlines told News 6 that “Safety is our top priority, and we have zero tolerance for the behavior as alleged. The allegations are serious, and we will provide any necessary assistance to law enforcement in their investigation. Additionally, this individual is no longer welcome on any of our flights.”