Alaska Man Convicted of Abusive Sexual Contact on Anchorage-Seattle Flight

Trayton C. Ballot, a 28-year-old man from Deering, Alaska, was convicted by a federal jury in Seattle for abusive sexual contact against a 17-year-old girl during an Alaska Airlines flight from Anchorage to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on January 15, 2025. Ballot repeatedly rubbed the victim's inner thigh despite her efforts to push his hand away, including placing a stuffed animal and lowering the tray table to block him. The victim alerted her mother by typing a message on her phone, and flight attendants subsequently moved her to a different seat. Ballot was arrested upon the plane's arrival in Seattle and faces up to two years in prison, with sentencing scheduled for December 15, 2025. The case was investigated by the FBI and the Port of Seattle Police and was resolved after a two-day trial with the jury deliberating for about an hour. Ballot had pleaded not guilty but was found guilty based on the evidence presented.