TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A man was arrested after he grabbed a flight attendant and asked her if she wanted to join the “mile high club” on a Florida-bound flight, according to a criminal complaint filed in the Middle District of Florida.
The complaint said James Finnister boarded a Spirit flight from Louisville, Kentucky to Orlando on Tuesday.
During the flight, investigators said Finnister “intentionally grabbed a female aircraft flight attendant … pulled her into his seat and asked her if she wanted to join ‘the mile high club,’ interfering with her ability to perform her duties.”
Officials said the flight attendant was able to free herself from Finnister’s grip and report the incident to her flight supervisor.
Finnister also asked several questions about the plane’s cockpit, including questions related to entering it, flight attendants said.
When the plane landed, the complaint said Finnister admitted to Orlando police officers that he asked the flight attendants if they wanted to join the “mile high club.” Finnister told police officers that he had taken several shots of alcohol before the flight “to calm his nerves” because it was his first time flying.
Finnister is facing federal charges of interfering with the performance of the duties of a flight crew member or flight attendant.
