Lawyer Accused of Exposing Himself on Flight Pleads Guilty to Lewd Acts
Updated: A lawyer who was suspended from practice in California based on allegations he patted the buttocks of court personnel has pleaded guilty in a new case stemming from his behavior on a Houston-bound flight.
Leonard Julius Sawyerr, who now lives in Houston, pleaded guilty to two counts of lewd, indecent or obscene acts, according to the Houston Chronicle and a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s office. Prosecutors claimed the 33-year-old Sawyerr exposed himself to a passenger and flight attendant on the Continental Airlines flight in February 2011.
One incident occurred after Sawyerr tried to strike up a personal conversation with a woman sitting in the window seat next to him, prosecutors say. The woman put on her ear phones and tried to ignore him. At some point, Sawyerr raised his tray table and exposed himself, the press release says. When the woman said she wanted to move, he asked if she wanted to climb over him, according to the release. He was also accused of exposing himself to the flight attendant after emerging from the restroom. ““Can’t a guy have his fly undone?” Sawyerr allegedly said.
Sawyerr was suspended for six months in California after he was accused of touching or patting the buttocks of a prosecutor, court clerk and security officer, the Houston Chronicle says. He pleaded no contest to two misdemeanor battery charges in November 2011, according to the Chronicle.
Although the DOJ and Houston Chronicle list him as Leonard Julius Sawyerr, he is listed on the State Bar of California’s website as Leonard Julius Sawyer.
Updated on June 25 to note that an alternate spelling of Sawyerr’s name is listed by the State Bar of California.
