The Denver Police Department has arrested a man who a woman claims sexually assaulted her early this morning at Denver International Airport.
Alexander Bertrand, 26, an Oregon resident, is currently in custody on suspicion of felony sexual assault, a police spokesperson said this afternoon.
The woman told 7News that she had missed her flight to Illinois, where she was going for a job interview at a convent. She did not have money for a hotel and so decided to spend the night at the airport.
The woman told Fox-31 News and 7News that she met a man at an airport bar on Concourse A, who told her he was a Marine. They started a conversation and continued to talk near an airport window after the bar closed at midnight.
When the woman rejected the man’s advances, he forced her to the floor and sexually assaulted her, the woman told the television stations.
The woman also alleges that airport employees walked by and saw what was happening but did not intervene. 7News reported the woman believed the workers were janitorial staff.
DIA spokesperson Jenny Schiavone said that a contracted security guard called 911, and Bertrand was detained in the airport until police could respond to the scene.
The woman was taken to a nearby hospital for injuries on her arms, legs and face, the television stations reported.
Mitchell Byars: 303-954-1698 or mbyars@denverpost.com
