GROSS

41-Year-Old Army Officer Indicted for Groping Teens on Two Seattle Flights

The charges are a fall from grace for James Benecke, who was given the honor of reading off a New York Giants draft pick on ESPN in 2019.

A 41-year-old Army officer was indicted last week for molesting teens on two separate flights this year, according to a Wednesday press release from the Department of Justice. Per his indictment, James Benecke, a U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer, touched the buttocks of a 16-year-old seated next to him on an April flight from Anchorage to Seattle. Two months later, Benecke struck again on a flight from Dallas to Seattle, allegedly touching the buttocks and inner thigh of an 18-year-old—once again, seated beside him. This time however, the teen and her boyfriend reported the alleged groping to the flight crew. Benecke was moved to the rear of the plane and met by law enforcement when he got to Seattle, the indictment said. The allegations are a fall from grace for Benecke, who was given the honor of reading off a New York Giants draft pick on ESPN in 2019.