Former youth pastor convicted of sexual abuse on flight to Seattle from Burbank

SEATTLE – A 41-year-old California man was convicted of sexual harassment on Thursday after he groped a woman on a flight from Burbank to Seattle earlier this year.

According to the United States Attorney’s Office – Western District of Washington, Justin Baker was arrested on March 14 of this year when an Alaska Airlines flight arrived at Sea-Tac Airport. Baker was arrested again on October 23 after a jury returned a guilty verdict.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the jury deliberated for about 90 minutes after the three-day trial. The U.S. Attorney’s Office continued to note that U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour scheduled Baker’s sentencing for January 21, 2025.

“According to the case file and testimony given at trial, Baker was sitting in the middle seat and the victim was sitting to his right, against the wall of the plane,” the U.S. attorney’s office wrote. “Baker learned that the victim was preparing for college and was only 18 years old.”

According to testimony during the trial, Baker showed the teen “sexually explicit messages” he had on his phone before pulling a jacket over her lap and lower body. The U.S. attorney’s office said the woman tried to move away from Baker and approach the wall, but he reached under his jacket and groped her leg and genitals through her clothing. Baker then reached under her top and groped her breast.

“Even though the victim said ‘No’ and moved away, when he first tried to touch her, he continued to grope her,” the U.S. attorney’s office wrote. “Eventually, the victim got up from his seat to contact the flight crew. When she tried to move past Baker, he groped her buttocks.”

In his closing argument at trial, an assistant U.S. attorney said the defendant “perceived the word ‘No’ as a speed limit, not a stop sign.”

At the trial, prosecutors presented testimony from another victim who, as a 15-year-old girl in 2004, was similarly molested by Baker. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Baker was a young pastor at the time and did not stop even though the victim told him “no” when he tried to molest her under a blanket.

“Inappropriate sexual contact is punishable by up to two years in prison,” the U.S. attorney’s office wrote. “The actual sentence will be determined by Judge Coughenour after considering the sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.”

The case was investigated by the FBI and the Port of Seattle Police.