A Minneapolis woman says her 2-year-old son was traumatized by a man accused of slapping the boy and calling him a racial slur during an Atlanta-bound flight. The boy’s mother, Jessica Bennett, said in a statement today that her son has become “apprehensive to strangers” since the Feb. 8 flight from Minneapolis. Joe Rickey Hundley, of Hayden, has been charged with simple assault. His attorney said he will plead not guilty. Bennett, 33, told authorities her son was crying as the Delta Air Lines flight prepared for landing. Hundley, 60, was sitting next to her and slapped the boy in his face, causing a scratch under his right eye, she said. Hundley told her to shut the baby up, using a racial slur, FBI special agent Daron Cheney said in a sworn statement. “Ms. Bennett received assistance from several people on the plane”/Associated Press. More here.

DFO: The article goes on to say that Hundley has been suspended from his job as president of Unitech Composites and Structures.

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