Plane passenger spots man texting about sex abuse of kids
SAN FRANCISCO — A sharp-eyed airline passenger spotted another passenger texting about sexually assaulting children, leading officers in California and Washington state to arrest two people and find two young victims, authorities said Thursday.
San Jose police said they arrested Michael Kellar, 56, in the city’s airport Monday night after a flight from Seattle. Kellar’s texts led officers to arrest Gail Burnworth, 50, in her Tacoma home. Kellar also lives in that city.
It appears two children, ages 5 and 7, were sexually assaulted, investigators said. Authorities say Burnworth had access to children as a babysitter and that Kellar was getting to the victims through her.
Seattle and San Jose police declined to discuss the children’s relationship to the suspects and how Kellar and Burnworth knew each other.