Doctor groped woman mid-flight while headed to propose to girlfriend, feds say
A Georgia doctor is accused of groping a woman’s butt and thighs as he “slept” on board a Delta Air Lines flight, federal investigators say.
Now, he’s charged.
Dr. Jake Cho, of Peachtree City, faces a count of abusive sexual contact on an aircraft following the incident on a flight from Atlanta to Portland, Maine, according to court documents.
A woman sitting next to Cho said he appeared to be asleep but “continuously leaned into her seat area” during the March 17 flight, investigators said in a probable cause affidavit. At one point, she said he moved his hand into the space between them and touched her thigh and butt.
“The male also moved his feet into (the woman’s) foot space and touched her feet with his feet,” according to the affidavit.
Cho, a nephrologist with Peidmont Healthcare, has practiced medicine across metro Atlanta, according to the health system’s website. He told investigators he was flying to Maine to propose to his girlfriend.
McClatchy News reached out to Piedmont Healthcare on June 9 and was awaiting a response. An attorney for Cho didn’t return McClatchy’s request for comment.
Later when the flight hit rough air, the woman said Cho ”spasmed” and reached past her leg and “down into her crotch,” court documents state.
She told investigators she had scooted as far as she could from the man before his turbulence-induced twitch, “which would’ve required the male’s movements to be deliberate.” She screamed “excuse me,” and Cho snatched his hand away, court documents state.
After arriving in Maine, the woman reported the incident to Portland Police, investigators said.
Cho was stopped by agents before his return flight to Atlanta on March 19 and questioned about the assault. He initially denied touching the woman but later acknowledged grabbing her upper thigh, according to the affidavit.
Peachtree City is about 30 miles southwest of downtown Atlanta.
If you have experienced sexual assault and need someone to talk to, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline for support at 1-800-656-4673 or visit the hotline's online chatroom.
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