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Charges: Man Assaulted Woman On Flight To Minn.

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – An 83-year-old Reno, Nev., man is accused of assaulting a woman on a flight to Rochester via his private plane, according to charges filed in Minneapolis Federal Court on Tuesday.

Robert M. Lee was charged with one count of assault in connection with the incident. The charge came in federal court because the incident occurred on the plane.

According to a criminal complaint, Lee was on a flight from Arizona to Rochester on Sept. 21, 2010, with a paramedic/respiratory specialist that was caring for him at the time. Lee was returning to his seat with the doctor's help when he reached up with his hand and grabbed her breast, causing significant pain to the doctor.

She pushed his hand away and said, "You do not touch me like that. Do not do that again." Lee responded by saying, "I can do whatever I want. This is my airplane."

The complaint states a short time later Lee made a pinching motion with his thumb and forefinger and told the victim, "This is what I'm going to do to you."

The victim told Lee that he isn't allowed to touch medical personnel in that manner, he said, "On my airplane, I can do whatever I want."

He also told the victim that she should be wearing a V-neck shirt so he could slide his hand down her shirt more easily, according to the complaint.

If convicted, Lee faces up to six months in prison.

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