A former California Highway Patrol captain will serve no prison time after admitting to sexually exposing himself to and touching flight attendants aboard a JetBlue flight last year.
Dennis Woodbury, 50, will instead receive three years of probation after pleading guilty to misdemeanor simple assault on an aircraft. U.S. District Judge Percy Anderson ordered Woodbury to complete 100 hours of community service and undergo mental health and substance abuse testing and treatment, according to court records.
“That the defendant was ever in a position of public trust and committed these acts is disturbing and must be taken seriously,” said Assistant United States Attorney. wrote Brenda Galván in a sentencing memorandum.
Woodbury had previously been fired from the CHP after serving in the San Gabriel Valley, the U.S. Attorney's Office said in a news release.
He was initially arrested on a more serious felony charge of abusive sexual contact within federal jurisdiction, but was allowed to plead guilty to a lesser charge of simple assault under a plea deal accepted by the court in October.
The U.S. attorney's office argued that a 90-day prison sentence “reflects the seriousness of the crime given the defendant's background,” according to the memo.
The victims, two male flight attendants, testified that Woodbury's actions made them fear for their safety and disrupted their ability to do their jobs during a cross-country flight in April 2025, according to prosecutors.
On the flight, Woodbury drank a bottle of Prosecco and showed a flight attendant a pornographic image, according to court records.
Woodbury then suggested that the two men go on a cruise together.
“When [the attendant] demonstrated how the plane's oxygen masks worked, saw Woodbury looking at him and [making] a manual pumping motion,” the criminal complaint states.
Shortly afterward, he slapped an attendee on the butt and yelled, “I love you.” The incident led flight personnel to swap sections on the plane, but Woodbury's behavior persisted.
He walked to the front galley of the plane, dropped his pants and exposed himself to the second stewardess. After being urged to take a seat, Woodbury circled toward the front of the plane, ordered wine and exposed himself again.
The government said the incident compromised the attendants' ability to perform safety-critical tasks during the flight. In a victim impact statement, a flight attendant said Woodbury's conduct caused “significant emotional, professional and reputational harm.”
“No one should feel threatened simply for doing their job,” prosecutors wrote.
Despite these arguments, the court refused to impose a prison sentence on him.
Anderson also waived a $2,000 fine proposed by prosecutors, citing Woodbury's financial circumstances, and ordered him to pay a mandatory $10 special assessment, according to the ruling.
