Update 5:15 p.m. EDT Oct. 24: A man accused of groping a woman Sunday on a Southwest Airlines flight from Houston to Albuquerque, has been released into the custody of his wife, according to news reports.
Bruce Alexander is accused of grabbing another passenger’s breast while she slept.
He arrested by the FBI upon landing.
Investigators said he told them after his arrest that "the President of the United States says it's okay to grab women by their private parts," but Alexander never admitted to saying that or to groping the woman, according to KOB-TV.
A federal judge on Tuesday still found probable cause to continue the case, KOB reported.
Alexander was allowed to return to Tampa where his wife is tasked with making sure he adheres to the conditions of his release, according to the news station.
Alexander is facing up to two years in prison, if found guilty on the charges.
Original story: A Tampa, Florida, man has been charged after a woman said that he groped her during a flight on Sunday.
Bruce Alexander was charged by federal prosecutors after the woman claimed that her breast was grabbed from behind two times on the Southwest flight over the weekend flight from Houston to Albuquerque, The Washington Post reported.
The woman told officials that she thought the first touch was possibly an accident, ABC News reported.
But she was allegedly touched a second time.
That’s when she confronted Alexander.
ABC News reported, "She rose from her seat, turned around and told the passenger behind her that she didn't know why he thought it was OK and he needed to stop," according to court documents.
Alexander was arrested when the plane landed, ABC News reported.
Federal authorities said that Alexander told them that "the President of the United States says it's OK to grab women by their private parts," the criminal complaint says.
The woman was seated in the row in front of Alexander. The woman asked to be moved after the alleged assault.
Alexander was charged with abusive sexual contact, the U.S. Attorney's Office in New Mexico announced via a press release.
Alexander is in federal custody, awaiting preliminary and detention hearings, the press release said.
If found guilty, Alexander faces up to two years in jail and a $250,000 fine, according to the U.S. Attorney.
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