Two plead guilty in airplane oral sex case

LAS VEGAS, Oct. 18 (UPI) -- A man and a woman accused of engaging in oral sex in front of other passengers on a commercial flight pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct in Las Vegas.

Christopher Martin, a former Applegate Valley, Ore., vintner, and Jessica Stroble, a Medford, Ore., salon technician, pleaded guilty in absentia Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Las Vegas to a federal misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct, the Medford Mail Tribune reported Friday.

Martin and Stroble were each sentenced to pay a $250 fine. The plea deal resulted in the dropping of more serious charges, which could have resulted in 90-day jail sentences for the defendants.

"I have made many mistakes in my life, none greater than this one," Martin said in a written statement sent the Mail Tribune. "I have lost my job, my reputation and damaged the legacy I had worked 10 years to nurture and grow. I will learn from this and move on to the next chapter in my life."

The two were accused of engaging in oral sex acts in view of other passengers during a June 21 Allegiant Air flight. Prosecutors said they had been repeatedly warned by flight attendants.