LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — A former Los Angeles World Airports police officer was sentenced Thursday to four years in prison for sexually battering a woman as she waited to board a flight.
Michael Wayne Staunton, 56, was also ordered to register as a sex offender, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
READ MORE: Fire Crews On High Alert As Campers Head To The Mountains For Holiday WeekendStaunton was convicted Nov. 18, of one count each of assault by a police officer, sexual battery by restraint and false imprisonment by fraud involving the April 12, 2011 assault while he was on duty at Los Angeles International Airport.
Staunton had been stationed at a police podium just inside the screening area for departing passengers when he first approached the 25-year-old woman and made a sexual comment, prosecutors said. He later returned and motioned for the woman to follow him.
READ MORE: 'South Central Was Bombed By The Los Angeles Police Department': Residents Demand Accountability After South LA Fireworks ExplosionStaunton used his security access card to take the woman to a storage area, where he assaulted her before walking her back to the departure area, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
The woman reported what happened to her friends, who contacted the Los Angeles Police Department and filed a report.
MORE NEWS: Officials Issue Warnings About Risk Of Fireworks Causing Wildfires, Injuries(©2013 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)
