Mom, other passengers intervene when woman rubs 14-year-old’s leg on flight, feds say
The mother of a 14-year-old was among several passengers who intervened when a woman started rubbing her daughter’s head and leg on a Breeze Airways flight, according to federal prosecutors.
While sitting next to the teen, Susan Holliday not only rubbed the girl, but “also placed the child’s hand on (her) chest” during the May 14 flight from Louisville, Kentucky, to Charleston, South Carolina, prosecutors said.
Holliday, 61, of Hardeeville, South Carolina, pleaded guilty on March 4 to simple assault of a minor while aboard an aircraft in connection with the incident, court records show.
She is represented by Charles Condon, a former attorney general for South Carolina, who didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment from McClatchy News on March 5.
Holliday is accused of assaulting the 14-year-old while “inebriated from drinking alcohol,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina said in a March 5 news release.
By doing so, Holliday disrupted the flight — resulting in the girl’s mother and other passengers taking action, prosecutors said.
Holliday was moved to another seat, where a flight attendant stayed with her until the plane landed in Charleston, according to the attorney’s office.
McClatchy News contacted Breeze Airways for comment on March 5 and didn’t receive an immediate response.
Holliday was released on a $25,000 unsecured bond on March 4, court records show.
She must surrender her passport, not obtain another passport and is not allowed to drink alcohol, according to an order setting the conditions of her release.
Holliday faces up to one year in federal prison and a fine of up to $100,000, prosecutors said.
She will be sentenced after U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel receives and reviews a sentencing report from the U.S. Probation Office, according to the attorney’s office. The date of her sentencing wasn’t specified.
The FBI’s Columbia Field Office investigated the case, the attorney’s office said.
The FBI investigates sexual misconduct, assaults, interference with flight crew members and thefts that occur on an airplane, according to the agency.
Hardeeville is about 22 miles northwest of Hilton Head Island.
This story was originally published March 5, 2024 at 4:14 PM with the headline "Mom, other passengers intervene when woman rubs 14-year-old’s leg on flight, feds say."
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