California woman arrested for alleged child abuse on international flight

Jacque Porter and Jeremy Tanner

3 minutes ago

(KTXL) – A California woman was arrested Wednesday for allegedly assaulting a child on an international flight, the U.S. Department of Justice said.

According to a Justice Department press release, several passengers on a flight from Mexico to Seattle witnessed the 33-year-old Sacramento woman attack a 2-year-old who was traveling with her on the Delta flight on May 1.

At some point, the child sitting in the window seat woke the woman, who allegedly turned around and kicked the 2-year-old, then shook the toddler “like a rag doll,” the release said.

The Justice Department said the woman continued to abuse the child despite the passengers’ interventions and was arrested when the plane landed at Sea-Tac Airport.

USA Today reports that a member of the Civil Aviation Safety Program who was called to the scene saw multiple bruises on the child’s face and body. The woman reportedly explained the marks and said they were made by a dog a week before the flight.

Authorities did not provide details about the relationship between the two, but said the child was placed with a relative.

Judge Brian Tsuchida ordered the woman remanded in custody, saying the victim was “particularly vulnerable” and that he was concerned for the two-year-old’s safety as the woman allegedly “committed the assaults in front of so many people over a lengthy plane ride.”

The woman’s next hearing is scheduled for May 16.