Man accused of sexually assaulting seatmate on flight from California to Denver

The alleged incident took place during a flight on October 25 from California to Colorado, according to a criminal complaint.

• A California man was accused of sexually assaulting his seatmate.
• The alleged incident happened on October 25 during a flight from Sacramento to Denver.
• The man allegedly touched the passenger and openly masturbated during the flight.

A man was accused of sexually assaulting his seatmate during an October 25 flight from California to Colorado.

According to a complaint filed in the U.S. District Court of Colorado, 26-year-old Robert Earl Glasper III was arrested after being accused of repeatedly touching a fellow passenger before exposing himself and masturbating mid-flight.

In the complaint obtained by Insider, the victim alleged in a statement that Glasper appeared to be "under the influence" when he boarded the plane. The victim and Glasper were seated next to each other - in the middle seat and window seat, respectively - while a female passenger sat in the aisle seat.

Before the flight began, the victim alleged in the statement that they noticed Glasper was sitting on his seatbelt. When the victim stood up to retrieve their seatbelt and allow Glasper to reach his own, Glasper allegedly grabbed the victim's buttocks and squeezed.

The complaint alleged that Glasper "repeatedly" put his hand on the victim's left leg and attempted to hold his hand as the flight continued. The complaint alleged that Glasper also "repeatedly" asked the victim to "jerk him off."

According to the complaint, at one point, Glasper left his seat and the victim leaned over to the female passenger to share a note via text message.

"Ummm this guy is really handsy and a creep," the message reportedly read.

When Glasper returned to his seat, the complaint alleged that he tried to touch the victim's hand and leg again. Then, the victim allegedly noticed that Glasper appeared to have an erection. The complaint alleged that Glasper then began masturbating and exposed himself to the victim.

The female passenger and a witness, seated across the aisle, then flagged down a flight attendant to report the incident, the complaint alleged.

When the flight landed in Denver, the complaint states that Glasper told responding officers he was unaware of the allegations and said the interaction was consensual.

It's unclear on which airline the alleged incident occurred. An attorney for Glasper did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.