Missouri man sentenced to 21 months in federal prison for sexually assaulting nurse aboard SA flight
A Missouri man has been sentenced to federal prison for groping an ER nurse during an Atlanta-bound flight last year.
Scott Russell Granden, 36, of St. Louis, got 21 months in jail on Tuesday for sexually assaulting his female seatmate aboard a Southwest Airlines flight.
On March 25, 2021, the nurse was traveling to Atlanta after a shift at a St. Louis hospital. She dozed off, then woke up to Granden groping her crotch.
Granden, who was in the middle seat beside the victim, eventually asked her to get up from her aisle seat so he could go to the restroom.
When the terrified victim complied, Granden proceeded to smack her buttocks.
The woman then alerted flight attendants of the assault while Granden was in the restroom, and she was moved to another seat.
Atlanta Police officers were waiting for the flight to land at the Atlanta International Airport. Bodycam footage from police shows Granden yelling racist and homophobic slurs to officers who arrested him.
He was later charged with sexual assaults on aircraft and pleaded guilty on September.
'This was not an isolated incident,' the airport attorney coordinator told local news station WSB-TV. 'He just continued over and over.'
Granden has a lengthy criminal record and has been charged with distribution of controlled substances, assault and driving under the influence. He will be required to register as a sex offender when he returns to Missouri.
Scott Russell Granden, 36, of St. Louis, was sentenced to 21 months in jail on Tuesday for sexually assaulting his female seatmate aboard a Southwest Airlines flight last year
Bodycam footage from police shows Granded yelling racist and homophobic slurs to officers. He also told a black FBI officer who responded to the scene that he should 'be out picking cotton.'
According to court documents obtained by DailyMail.com, Graden was seated next to the victim on 12B. Another passenger next to Granden told police that they believed Granden and the victim were together because he had been particularly 'chatty' with her.
The passenger also noted that Granden appeared drunk and had been touching the nurse inappropriately.
After rejecting several attempts at conversation, the victim decided to ignore Granden, put her AirPods on and tried to get some sleep. She dozed off and woke up moments later because of turbulence.
She initially thought Granden was holding her tight because he was scared, but he proceeded to move his hands toward her crotch area. The victim removed his hand several times before Granden asked her to get up so he could go use the restroom.
When she got up, the woman was groped and smacked on her buttocks by Granden.
According to court documents obtained by DailyMail.com, Granden was flying to Atlanta and seated next to the victim on 12B when the attack unfolded
The victim decided she wanted to press charges and the flight staff alerted Atlanta Police officers, who were waiting for the flight to land at the Atlanta International Airport
Granden will be required to register as a sex offender when he returns to Missouri
She asked a flight attendant for help and was moved to another seat; she told the other passenger in the row, 'I am not with him and I am uncomfortable'.
'She was terrified when he got up to use the bathroom', that passenger told police.
Granden was moved to the front of the plane when it landed, and the victim told flight attendants she wanted to press charges after he kept staring at her.
When confronted by police officers, Granden pulled down his pants and mockingly screamed, 'you're raping me!'
He went on to yell slurs to officers with the APD and told an FBI agent that 'he should be out picking cotton.'
Granden was charged with abusive sexual contact aboard an aircraft and was sentenced to 21 months in prison on Tuesday after pleading guilty in September.
When confronted by police officers, Granden pulled down his pants and mockingly screamed, 'you're raping me!'
'Passengers have the right to fly in peace and to expect that their personal dignity will be respected,' said US Attorney Kurt R. Erskine
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ShareIn court, he claimed to have taken anxiety medication and alcohol before the flight that 'made him think [the victim] was his fiancee,' but his remarks were dismissed by the judge.
Granden also must register as a sex offender and will have one year of parole when he returns to Missouri.
'Passengers have the right to fly in peace and to expect that their personal dignity will be respected,' said U.S. Attorney Kurt R. Erskine.
'When this defendant started groping and sexually harassing the female passenger in the next seat, he humiliated and degraded her. We will not tolerate this type of behavior on an airplane, and this sentence shows the consequences for such abusive sexual conduct.'
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