Elderly Preacher Charged With Assaulting Wife On Flight

An elderly evangelical preacher, Roger Allan Holmberg Sr., 75, has been charged with assaulting his wife on a flight. This happened on July 2 during an Alaska Airlines flight from Seattle to Anchorage. Holmberg allegedly got upset when his wife received a first-class upgrade and he did not. Witnesses say he verbally assaulted and slapped her in front of other passengers. The couple was traveling to Alaska for a ministry conference. They had been married for one and a half years, following the death of Holmberg’s first wife.

Holmberg is set to appear in federal court in Anchorage. He currently does not have a lawyer listed. Attempts to reach him for a comment were unsuccessful, and his phone number was not working. Holmberg’s wife’s identity is known but not disclosed for privacy reasons, and she did not respond to requests for comment.

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According to an unnamed passenger, the problems began shortly after takeoff. Holmberg, who was in coach, confronted his wife in first class three times. He was upset about her upgrade, showed her something on his phone, and allegedly tried to hit her, resulting in him striking her head. An off-duty police officer witnessed the disturbance and heard Holmberg’s wife telling him he couldn’t behave that way.

During the flight, Holmberg’s first confrontation with his wife involved him questioning how she received the upgrade, to which she responded that she was a member of Gold Point. In the second incident, he showed her something on his phone and gave her the finger. The third time, Holmberg allegedly pushed her seatmate and tried to hit his wife, striking her on the head despite the seatmate’s attempts to block him.

Holmberg’s wife later claimed that he had a history of violence and had previously injured her, resulting in a fractured finger. An off-duty police officer sitting nearby noticed the disturbance and heard her reprimanding Holmberg for his actions.

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Holmberg will face the charges in federal court, and there has been no comment from him or his wife on the incident.The complaint details how Holmberg’s aggression towards his wife continued throughout the flight. After the initial confrontation about the upgrade, he escalated the situation by showing her something offensive on his phone and making a rude gesture. When he returned for a third confrontation, Holmberg allegedly pushed another passenger and managed to strike his wife on the head.

Holmberg’s wife also revealed that she had been physically assaulted by him before, including an incident where she suffered a fractured finger. The off-duty police officer who witnessed the incident on the plane noted the visible tension and heard Holmberg’s wife telling him he couldn’t act that way.

Holmberg is scheduled to make his first court appearance in Anchorage, where he will face the federal charges of assault. The court records do not list any attorney for him, and attempts to contact him have been unsuccessful due to a non-functional phone number. The identity of Holmberg’s wife remains protected for her privacy, and she has not responded to calls or texts for comment on the incident.

The serious nature of the allegations and the public nature of the assault have drawn significant attention, highlighting concerns about domestic violence and the safety of passengers on flights.