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Kootenai County Sheriff, file
Joe Hundley was charged with assault after allegedly hitting a 19-month-old boy who had started to cry aboard a Delta flight.
A man accused of uttering a racial slur and slapping another passenger's crying toddler during a flight has been fired in the wake of the alleged incident.
Joe Hundley, 60, from Hayden, Idaho, was charged with assault after he allegedly hit the 19-month-old boy who had started to cry during the airplane’s descent, NBC station KARE reported.
According to court documents, the child’s mother Jessica Bennett alleges Hundley leaned over and said, "Shut that [N-word] baby up!" before slapping the child. This caused him to bleed and cry even harder, his mother told KARE.
'Offensive and disturbing'
The Boise Weekly reported that Bennett's story was supported by another passenger who was aboard the Delta Air Lines flight from Minneapolis to Atlanta on Feb. 8. That could not be independently confirmed by NBC News.
Hundley is no longer working for Idaho-based aircraft component manufacturer, Unitech, its parent company AGC Aerospace and Defense said in a statement on its website Sunday:
“Reports of the recent behavior of one of our business unit executives while on personal travel are offensive and disturbing. We have taken this matter very seriously and worked diligently to examine it since learning of the matter on Friday afternoon. As of Sunday, the executive is no longer employed with the company.
“We wish to emphasize that the behavior that has been described is contradictory to our values, embarrassing and does not in any way reflect the patriotic character of the men and women of diverse backgrounds who work tirelessly in our business.”
In an interview with KARE, Bennett said Hundley appeared intoxicated, accusing him of becoming increasingly obnoxious during the flight.
"He reeked of alcohol," Bennett said. "He was belligerent and I was uncomfortable."
Hundley's attorney, Marcia Shein of Atlanta, has said that her client will plead not guilty to the charge.
Shein told Reuters that she has received hate mail over her defense of Hundley, but added that she believes her client has been misunderstood.
"He is not a racist," Shein said. "I'm going to make that real clear because that's what people are suggesting."
"There's background information people don't know about, and in time it will come out," she said.
The Spokesman-Review newspaper of Spokane, Wash., reported that Hundley had denied the allegations.
“I can only say it’s an absolute falsehood,” the Spokesman-Review quoted Hundley as saying.
Leave a Comment:
During takeoff and landing, the babies are crying because of the painful pressure change in their ears.
No parent can ease that pain, nor get a toddler or infant to stop crying. The pressure has to change; the pain has to stop. Under those circumstances, it's pretty harsh to be complaining about "poor parenting."
Never mind that some of you are just jerks.
Kids ears hurt them when the pressure changes. I know because as a child I had the same problem (the pain was very bad) and as an adult I have the same problem. I was about 5 years old and remember starting to cry because this pressure change and it scared me.. My grandmother who was sitting in back of me held my hand and said it was okay and not to be afraid that this would pass. I calmed down and didn't continue to cry. Once I realized what was happening, I didn't cry. I was very uncomfortable but knew there was an ending to it. A child whose 19 months old or a baby doesn't comprehend or understand this.
Babies cry when the pressure in the cabin changes. They don't know any better. It's disguisting to me that a grow man would use racial slurs and then hit a baby. Does one really think that slapping or hitting someone whose upset or crying is going to calm them down or they suddenly wouldn't be crying or upset anymore. The opposite happens.
This guy no doubt does this to people who can't fight back. I doubt if this baby was sitting next to a large burly man that this guy would have done this. He doesn't want to end up getting hurt which he would be if he did this.
Tex - come back from the 7-11!! The people here have no sense of humor.
That sounds reasonable to me.
Actually, I have FOUR kids and I think that's reasonable as well. After all, sometimes it would be nice if a family could enjoy a flight without having a belligerent drunkard ruining the experience as well. So it goes both ways. Family flights for families and adults-only flights filled with people who can fend for themselves against morons who drink too much.
How about a stupid people free plane. Think of all the empty seats there would be.
I would pay extra for that!
Saffie,
I agree with you.
There should be no children flights and adult only flights. It just makes sense.
Now, on the children friendly flights, you will have to deal with your own belligerent drunkards, and on the no children flights, they will have to deal with there's.
Problem solved!
Who wouldn't. So many idiots around.
Tara W,
You shouldn't have to pay more. Actually you should pay LESS!
You aren't the one who is making the fight miserable.
On the adults only flight - would we able to join the mile high club?
flight
jac666,
On the family flight, would we be able to join the mile high club?
His lawyer is absolutely right. He's not a racist, no siree! And Mel Gibson LOVES Jewish people!
While I don't agree with hitting someone's child... We have all been placed in a situation where we are forced to listen to or deal with someone's misbehaving child, only to have the parent do nothing. As for the racial slur, well that just shows his ignorance. However he is as entitled to his freedom of speech and personal feelings just as we all are. I don't know that he was drunk, the article I read said he had been drinking. They are not same thing. As for his job, if he was under a clause in his contract then he should have known better than to behave as he did.
I would be interested to know how long he had to listen to a screaming child prior to the incident and if the mother was doing anything besides sitting there clueless as to how her child was annoying the other passengers. I see it every day... people who don't want to discipline their children, so the rest of us just have to deal with it.
By smacking the baby? That's how this drunk, racist jerk "dealt with it."
Once again: this happened during landing. The baby did not need "discipline." He was in pain. I would be interested to know if you are really this clueless all the time?
What is amazing is that the man is still alive. The mother must have some serious self restraint because if that was my child that got slapped, they would have taken ME off the plane for "homicide of a mean old bastard".
Here ill take a stab at why she didnt freak out like any other mother in the world would.....he never hit the kid
BS
opus,
You may be on to something. I don't know, I wasn't there, but nowadays you can't put it past anyone to try for a leg up the financial scale. She might be trying to sue him and the airline to make a quick buck, you never know. Not saying that's it, because again, I wasn't there.
opossum & WTFKinda RangerRU
You both sound as though you're apologists for this racist cracker confederate...
....the child's father should find this baby-beating skank...
...and feed him some 2nd Amendment justice...
...but, I'll tell you...
...the racist scumbags who attempt to "rationalize" cracker Joe's behavior...
...are proof positive that Duhmerikkka has a long way to go before we get to form...
...that "perfect Union"...
I hope confederate Joe is really put out to pasture...real soon...
One problem is that you are not allowed to discipline your kids. When I was a kid, I ran into to the street and almost got hit by a car. I got a few smacks on the rear and a good scolding and did not do that again. I did the same thing with my kid and was told by a bystander that I was abusing my kid and they would call the cops. Not saying that spanking is for every kid for all things, but sometimes it is needed.
The man got fired for allegedly using a racial slur against a toddler, and allegedly being drunk? The PC Police need to support their claims in a court of law, prior to over-reacting to allegations from an obviously distraught mother, whom by the way, could be lying! Or, maybe he had a medical condition that caused his allegedly inappropriate behavior! Get real, folks - after-all you weren't there!
Neither were you, nimrod.
If he isnt found guilty, they are going to really regret it when he goes after them with his own law suit
I'll use small words for you:
Do you know what "at-will employment" means?
Do you know that "not guilty" doesn't equal "innocent?"
Unless this guy was under a contract, and can drag contract law into it, he hasn't a legal leg to stand on. His at-will employer can fire him for no reason at all, if they like. Just as he is free to quit for no reason at all.
It would be difficult to believe that this mother simply picked some poor schlub at random, and accused him of something that didn't happen. Whatever else this guy did or didn't do, he did manage to get himself into a situation that brought tons of negative publicity on his employer, and that alone is reason enough for his company to distance itself by firing him. That's all they need. No lawsuit here.
I would imagine he got fired for slapping a child besides the racial slur. As a caveat, I don't care how annoyed you are with someone else's child..you don't go around slapping those children. Complain to the parent yes, complain to someone else in authority (in this case a flight attendant) yes, but arbitrarily hitting a child you don't know and have no relation to...absolutely not.
There are child free communities, why not child free flights?
Pay for a charter, dillweed! Oh, you can't afford it? Then STFU, loser.
Mymomdidnotraiseafool,
Thank you for appearing.
I was looking for a moron to punch on.
How about YOU pay extra to disrupt a flight?
Why do I have to pay extra NOT to be disrupted by a moron like you?
Roach-boy say what? You gonna punch on me, punk? I double dog dare you to try. You so much as lay a finger on any of my kids, and the best outcome you could hope for would be to wind up in the ICU on a ventilator, with your EEG looking like a lined notepad. I'd stop by later as an anonymous visitor to see how you're doing. I hope I do sit next to you some day on a loooooong flight overseas, where I can show you the true meaning of annoyance, by doing a pre-flight meal of a half dozen Taco Bell Bean Burritos, and another half dozen hard boiled eggs, washed down with about two quarts of Shiner Bock. That should be good for at least six bathroom trips. Then tell me how you're gonna punch on me. I dare you. So tell me, punk. Do you feel lucky?
Mymomdidnotraiseafool,
You made me rethink my position.
Now I believe that parents with annoying kids AND morons like you, should have to fly separate from normal people.
Thanks
Roach
Just curious, do you have kids? Does not sound like it.
If and when you do I hope you remember this conversation when I say your opinions will change... about a lot of things. Jus sayin! ;^)
So here is another money maker for the airlines: Ouiet flights. They already do this for free on Eastcoast trains in the UK. They have a car on the train where there is no talking, headphones only etc...
You don't like screamin babies? Take a quiet flight, for extra I'm sure.
EDIT: Sorry didn't read the whole thread. So no coorelation to your conversation with mom or your original comment. But on that thought does that mean I can complain about the wide azz guy that laps over the seat or the one who farts behind me or keep hacking a lung across from me or shoves my stuff around in the bend even though I paid extra to get in there first,etc...? And THEY would would have to pay extra? Boy that would start it up wouldn't it? $20 bucks for a fart!
Mymomdidnotraiseafool,
"I hope I do sit next to you some day on a loooooong flight overseas, where I can show you the true meaning of annoyance, by doing a pre-flight meal of a half dozen Taco Bell Bean Burritos, and another half dozen hard boiled eggs, washed down with about two quarts of Shiner Bock."
Dude! That's just wrong! I know what Taco Bell and boiled eggs do to me, and I would not wish that on my worst enemy, even if they did strike my kid! I think a good ole Ranger ass-whooping would suffice, no need to get homicidal with the ass gas! Plus, for the love of God, think of the other passengers who never did you any harm, I may be one them!
Please! Just beat his ass and leave the rest of us in peace!
You gotta love the idiot parents who change their kids poopy diapers, in the middle of a restaurant.
bon appetit!
Bug guy - You mean you don't enjoy the sweet smell of baby poop during your meal. Parents who drag kids into adult restaurants and movies should have their own circle of hell.
cockroach has never been so hungry that you eat, no matter what.
Culheath, I'm appalled by your comment. Material for the microwave? really?
Yeah, preferably strapped to the outside of the fuselage.
Badda boom...
...but seriously folks, the airline should have a self contained area at the rear for young children and their parents when possible. Kids are subject to all sorts of possible discomforts (like air pressure changes affected ears) and boredom on especially long flights., There's no reason that I should have to be discomforted with them for a ten hour stretch. I've got a lot of patience and love kids, but I also have a last nerve that can cause me to look at a child as potential material for the microwave.
How about just put stupid people in the back of the plane. Leave kids alone.
Because the plane could not get off the ground with the tail dragging like that.
That is classified as "segregation" and hence, illegal. Unfortunately
You know what I think would be a really big hit? If airlines put in small play rooms for kids to use during the flights. Once at altitude and cruising, send all the little rug-rats back there to play. Parent can even go play with them.
That's great for "at cruising." But this incident happened during landing, and the reason babies cry during takeoff and landing is because they are in pain. Not because they are bored little brats.
Come up with a brill solution for blocking that pain entirely, and then--and only then--do any of you folks complaining about crying babies have a point.
Voted up by mistake..meant to hit reply. Until such a time as a plane has any area that is completely soundproofed, placing kids in the back, or in front or whatever would be useless in any case. I've had more bad flights from morons getting drunk than having to deal with irritable children...I'll take the irritable children over the loud and foul mouthed morons any day.
Try looking for a job with this little ditty on your record. From the looks of him, he drinks a lot. I wish the toddler mother never gave an interview or statment saying he was drunk. His lawyer will use to determine he impaired judgemetn and could not form intent. The racial slur dials it up abit, but he pull a Mel Gibson defense and say I'm not a racist because I was drunk.
He wasnt drunk, he's someone who had a stroke in November, and lost the ability to move anything on his left side of his upper body. Hence the slip droop on the left side of his face. And nothing the mother said adds up, like how he was cut open and bleeding under the eye. Yet now there isnt even a mark on the boys face, so unless she can prove the boy she adopted has crazy super human healing abilities, she's turning out to be a liar and drama queen.
wow opusman you seem to have all the answers
Hmmm... Is it legal for a company to fire someone for something like this? I mean, racist people are everywhere doing all kinds of nasty things. Why does this guy in particular have to lose his job? They even said, "while on personal travel", so it wasn't even a business trip. Don't get me wrong, I think he should be arrested and charged with assault, but I think it's odd that he loses his job over it.
You obviously have never held an executive position anywhere, and doubtless never will. He is not a union member. He is an executive. They always have employment contracts that stipulate that anything that you do that detracts from the company's image, or brings infamy to them, is grounds for termination, whether that behavior took place on company time or not. If he was flying on the company's dime, he's toast, end of story. It's not odd at all. I've seen it happen before, and I will again. They can fire you for wearing the wrong color shirt if they want.
>> You obviously have never held an executive position anywhere, and doubtless never will.
Gee, thanks...
Short answer, probably not legal. Im guessing once the trial is over and he is found innocent, he will be quickly offered his job back. He makes a lot of money being so high up in the company. Plus with his recent stroke, its probably hurting their insurance premiums and whatnot. Personally, I hope he sues them once he gets done with this, and nbcnews for not even giving his side of the story.
Neither have I, nor will I ever, nor do I want to, but executive behavior is governed by as arbitrary a set of rules as you could ever dream up, including the Double Secret Probation rule. I just know what I know about them by having to work in close proximity to them on a regular basis. I have seen executives fired for less, believe me.
If he was an executive, he probably has or had a "Moral Turpitude" clause in his contract. That means that if he does anything considered morally reprehensible to normal standards, he can and will be fired or have his contract terminated.
Opusman...in the US system, no one is ever "found innocent." We don't have that verdict in our system.
A verdict of "not guilty" doesn't mean "innocent." Plenty of guilty people are found "not guilty" every day. If the burden of proof is not met by the prosecution, if a guilty verdict is not supported by the evidence and the prosecution's case, then the defendant cannot be found guilty. But that doesn't necessarily make him innocent. It usually means he's just lucky.
If the racist was a black person, the company wouldn't dare touch him.
Double standards.
Maybe double standards in some places. Not in the ones I worked at. I have seen non-white executives and managers terminated for their public misdeeds as well. I work for an organization where public image and public trust is everything, and anybody who acts out badly enough to bring disrepute or embarrassment to the organization is history, and believe me, it doesn't take much. There may be an old boys network, like everywhere else, but if you step out of line in public like that - bang!
Maybe there was a communication problem~
"Excuse me Stewardess, I speak jive!"
RFFN!!
Now granted, looks can be deceiving, but his looks reminds me of some of these old conservative farmers we have around here in Kansas that I had to tolerate during the presidential crap. You would not believe some of the racist comments coming out of these farmers mouths. I had to change the time that I did exercise because of these old farts.
He's gotta be a Republican. I wonder if he would try the same thing to a defenseless Mike Tyson.
C'mon, a 19 month old baby? The Coward should be in Prison too.
When you read the 20 pages of posts from the crazy people defending this racist it makes you realize more than ever how important it is to prevent them from owning a gun. These demented people walk among us every day.
the guy's attorney claims in time "more will come out" - typical lawyer talking; the a$$hole is a drunk, period
he's probably working on getting in contact with people on the plane around him and since only person claims they saw any of it, and they were sitting further in front of the plane(making it unlikely they actually saw anything). And the fact the media has left out the fact this man had a stroke recently and cannot use the left side of his upper body. Also if it turns out he wasnt intoxicated that'll be another blow to their story. And the fact the woman originally claimed her baby was cut open when he struck the child, yet 48 hours later the boy showed no signs at all of being cut open, or any bruising either for that matter.
How could he be racist, with a lawyer named Shein?
Would someone please explain to me what the [N-word] is/means? I know what the [F-word] is. I can guess what the [A-word] is. I'm not sure about the rest of the alphabet except for the chicken [S-word] which describes the [ J-word ] in the media who don't have the [ B-word ] to report the news as it is.
Are we in a sarcastic mood tonight?
Google Yoda cannot, hmmmm? Broken is his Google?
yoda,
look deep inside you must
"There's background information people don't know about, and in time it will come out," she said.
Let me guess, the baby insulted the drunk man so he had to defend his honor right?
Come on, IT WAS A BABY.
How much background do you need?
"He is not a racist," Shein said. "I'm going to make that real clear because that's what people are suggesting."
That's right he once gave an extra dollar to a shoe shine boy for doing a good job and that boy was black........ LOL! Where does the family values crowd go now their corner they are painting themselves into is getting smaller and smaller.