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Joe Rickey Hundley out of a job after allegedly slapping toddler

Joe Rickey Hundley, who was charged with assaulting a minor after allegedly slapping a toddler on an airplane, has been fired, his employer said.
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Joe Rickey Hundley, 60, of Hayden, Idaho, who was charged with assaulting a minor after allegedly slapping a crying toddler on an airplane, has been fired, according to a statement from his employer. Shown here in a mugshot from a prior offense. (Credit: Kootenai County Sheriff)
Joe Rickey Hundley, 60, of Hayden, Idaho, who was charged with assaulting a minor after allegedly slapping a crying toddler on an airplane, has been fired, according to a statement from his employer. Shown here in a mugshot from a prior offense. (Credit: Kootenai County Sheriff)
Published: Feb. 18, 2013 at 8:24 AM
By KRISTEN BUTLER, UPI.com

Al Haase, the president and CEO of Aerospace and Defense, Composite Group, released a statement Sunday saying the actions of "the employee" were "embarrassing" and "contradictory to our values." From his statement:

“Reports of the recent behavior of one of our business unit executives while on personal travel are offensive and disturbing. We have taken this matter very seriously and worked diligently to examine it since learning of the matter on Friday afternoon. As of Sunday, the executive is no longer employed with the company."

Hundley, 60, was charged with simple assault of a child younger than 16, an offense that carries a maximum sentence of a year in jail.

Hundley was seated next to Jessica Bennett, 33, and her 19-month-old son. As the Delta plane, inbound to Atlanta from Minneapolis, began to descend the altitude change apparently hurt the child's ears and he began to cry.

Fellow passengers told CNN that as Bennett tried to calm her child, Hundley told her to "shut that [racial slur] baby up," then slapped the boy with an open hand across the face, scratching him beneath the eye.

Hundley appeared intoxicated during the flight and became increasingly obnoxious, complaining that her son was too big to sit on her lap, she said.

"He reeked of alcohol," Bennett told KARE-TV. "He was belligerent, and I was uncomfortable."

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