updated 11:58 a.m. ET Jan. 24, 2008

HONOLULU - A 40-year-old U.S. sailor was arrested after he was accused of groping a 13-year-old girl during a flight from Honolulu to Phoenix.

The girl was in a window seat and Shawn Michael Cole was seated by the aisle. According to the complaint, the two watched movies together, and the girl later felt Cole grope her as she rested with her eyes closed.

The girl pretended to be asleep because she was afraid, the complaint said. But a Hawaiian Airlines flight attendant confronted Cole after seeing the sailor touching the girl's lips. The girl was moved to another seat.

Cole was arrested when the flight landed Friday. Police said he initially denied physical contact, but later said he fondled himself while sitting next to the girl.

Cole, who was in federal custody in Arizona, is stationed aboard the USS Olympia submarine at Pearl Harbor. His mother did not to comment to reporters as she left court.

Don't miss these Travel stories from msnbc.com When it's time for Grandma to stop driving | Discuss America’s best secret neighborhoods The best places you’ve never heard of Your travel dollar faring well in global slump Las Vegas is down, but far from out |   Slide show Stratospheric spots: The world's highest destinations

MORE FROM NEWS

News Section Front

America’s most reliable airlines A la carte pricing not flying with passengers   GPS could save airlines billions in fuel costs Turbulence injures passengers on flight to Fla. Feds go forward with NYC airport experiment Investigators unsure what caused Spanish crash 16 tourists killed in Nepal plane crash Jet reports problem, lands safely in San Diego Fare warning: heads up for holiday fliers Northwest Airlines reducing cargo fuel surcharges News Section Front   Add News headlines to your news reader: