Flight attendant indicted in attempt to record teen girl in airplane bathroom

An American Airlines formation attendant has been indicted aft authorities accidental helium tried to secretly video grounds a 14-year-old miss utilizing an airplane bathroom

BOSTON -- An American Airlines formation attendant was indicted Thursday aft authorities said helium tried to secretly grounds video of a 14-year-old miss utilizing an airplane bath past September.

Police person besides alleged that Estes Carter Thompson III, 36, of Charlotte, North Carolina, had recordings of 4 different girls utilizing lavatories connected an craft wherever helium worked.

Thompson was indicted connected 1 number of attempted intersexual exploitation of children and 1 number of possession of images of kid intersexual maltreatment depicting a prepubescent minor.

Thompson was charged and arrested successful January 2024 successful Lynchburg, Virginia. He has been successful national custody since. A lawyer for Thompson said aft the indictment by a national expansive assemblage that helium was incapable to comment.

Investigators said that astir midway done a Sept. 2, 2023, formation from Charlotte to Boston, the 14-year-old got up to usage the main compartment lavatory nearest to her spot but recovered it was occupied.

Thompson past told her the first-class lavatory was unoccupied and escorted her there, investigators said. Before she entered the bathroom, Thompson allegedly told her helium needed to lavation his hands and that the toilet spot was broken, they said.

After helium left, the teen entered the bath and she saw reddish stickers connected the underside of the toilet spot lid, which was successful the unfastened position, officials said.

Beneath the stickers, Thompson had concealed his iPhone to grounds a video, investigators said. The miss utilized her telephone to instrumentality a representation of the stickers and concealed iPhone earlier leaving.

Prosecutors besides allege hundreds of images of kid intersexual maltreatment generated done artificial intelligence were recovered stored connected Thompson’s iCloud account.

Attempted intersexual exploitation of children carries a condemnation of 15-30 years successful prison, portion possessing images of intersexual maltreatment of a prepubescent insignificant tin mean up to 20 years successful prison.

Both charges besides supply for astatine slightest 5 years and up to a beingness of supervised release, a good of up to $250,000 and restitution.

American Airlines antecedently issued a connection saying the formation attendant was “immediately withheld from service" and hasn’t worked since the telephone was discovered.

A hunt of Thompson’s iCloud relationship revealed 4 further instances betwixt January and August 2023 successful which Thompson recorded a insignificant utilizing the lavatory connected an aircraft, according to investigators.

Those depicted successful the recordings were 7, 9, 11 and 14 years aged astatine the time, they said. Their families person been contacted by police, investigators said.