75-year-old US pastor faces court for physically assaulting his wife mid-flight because she got an upgrade but he didn't, reports The Independent.
On July 2, Roger Allan Holberg and his wife were on an Alaska Airlines flight to Anchorage, Alaska for a “ministry-related” meeting with a church man.
Before take-off, the pastor's wife, aged 59, saw her ticket upgraded and found herself in first class while her husband was in economy class.
Photo taken from Facebook
According to a witness, Mr. Holmberg approached his wife on the first flight and asked: “How did you manage to get this upgrade?”
She accused him of reaching the “gold” level of the carrier's rewards system, before replying to her husband: “Don't talk to me like that.”
Shortly after the flight, the pastor returned to see his wife, handed her his cell phone, asked her to read what was on the screen, and then gave her the finger.
The situation escalated during the third confrontation, during which the husband hit his wife on the head.
Photo taken from Facebook
She also indicated to the police that this was not the first time that her husband had physically assaulted her. She claims he has already broken his finger.
An off-duty police officer sits behind the pastor's wife. He said he heard the woman tell her husband, “You can't do that.”
The cleric then went to the bathroom, but was confronted by a police officer when he came out, threatening to handcuff him if anything else happened. After receiving this warning, Saptavarna calmed down.
But the pastor was arrested when he got off the plane. During his trial, Roger Allan Holmberg stated that he and his wife were receiving marital therapy. However, according to the pastor, all the couple's problems are blamed on his wife.
Photo taken from Facebook
The priest said he was angry with his wife for being upgraded and wanted to sit next to her.
Describing himself as non-violent, he promised not to hurt his wife.
The 75-year-old was charged with physical assault and could face up to a year in jail if convicted.
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