STAFF REPORTS
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BUFFALO — Fourty-six-year-old Gerald McErlean of Lockport was charged by criminal complaint with performing a lewd act aboard an aircraft in violation of Title 49 of the United States Code. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 90 days in prison and a $5,000 fine.
Prosecutors say on March 8, McErlean exposed himself and masturbated on a Southwest Airlines flight from Fort Lauderdale, Fla. to Buffalo. He was observed engaging in the act by two women, who sought to block his behavior from the view of a toddler who was also traveling with them. When one of the woman “called [him] out on what he was doing,” the defendant stopped.
Another passenger, who also noticed the defendant’s behavior, called for a flight attendant who subsequently moved McErlean to the back of the airplane. When the flight arrived in Buffalo, having traveled the distance with the cabin lights on, the defendant was arrested by officers from the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority Police.
The defendant made an initial appearance today before U.S. Magistrate Judge H. Kenneth Schroeder and was released on bail pending a detention hearing slated for today.
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