Joe Rickey Hundley, 60, is accused of slapping a 19-month-old toddler in the face and telling the child’s mother to “Shut that n****r baby up.” The alleged incident occurred on-board a Delta Airlines flight that was en-route from Minneapolis to Atlanta on February 8.
Jessica Bennett, 33, and her adopted son, Jonah, boarded Atlanta-bound flight 721 to attend a funeral for a family member. The boy began crying due to the altitude change, and his mother tried to soothe him.
Hundley has admitted to asking the mother to keep the child quiet but denies using the racial slur and slapping the baby.
The toddler is said to have a scratch below his right eye as a result of the the assault.
If convicted, Hundley, a business owner, could face a maximum one year in jail. Upon Hundley’s arrest, police also found that the suspect, who has a 2007 charge for carrying a concealed weapon and public intoxication, was intoxicated.
