Oceanside Man Arrested for Molesting Girl on Plane

A California man was taken into custody earlier this week after federal officials say he groped and sexually propositioned a teenage girl on a flight from Los Angeles to Salt Lake City.

Hans Loudermilk, 67, of Oceanside, Calif., was arrested Tuesday at the Salt Lake City airport, according to the U.S. attorney’s office in Utah.

A 15-year-old girl sitting next to Loudermilk on the flight accused him of touching her chin and rubbing her leg and thigh during the flight, prosecutors said in a complaint filed in federal court Wednesday.

The girl told the FBI that Loudermilk told her he could teach her things sexually that boys her age could not and said she was old enough to marry him in Utah.

The girl said she got extremely nervous, so when the flight landed, the girl reported the incident to a Transportation Security Administration officer, prosecutors said.

When Loudermilk saw the teenager speaking with security officers, he entered an airport gift shop, removed his button-up shirt and replaced it with a jacket “to possibly avoid detection by law enforcement,” authorities said in court records.

Messages left with Loudermilk’s attorney, Benjamin McMurray, were not immediately returned Friday.

NBC 7 spoke to Loundermilk's son, Brendan, Friday evening who said, “The family has been advised not to give any statements at this time and as such, will not be able to comment on the case.”

Loudermilk was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail on Tuesday but released two days later to the U.S. Marshal’s Service, sheriff’s Sgt. Cammie Skogg said.

He made an initial appearance in a Utah court on Thursday.

Melodie Rydalch, a spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney’s office, said Loudermilk was scheduled to appear in federal court again on Monday morning for a detention hearing.

FBI Special Agent Darrell Foxworth told NBC 7 he’s unaware of any cases of child abuse Loudermilk could be involved in locally, but if that is the case, victims should contact his department immediately.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
Contact Us