American Baptist Pastor Charged After Hitting Wife on Flight, Told Police He Was Upset That She Was Upgraded to 1st Class Without Him

Roger Allan Holmberg Sr. faces a simple assault charge after allegedly hitting his wife in the head on the July 2 flight.

By Edward Era Barbacena 

A white-American baptist pastor faces a federal assault charge after allegedly hitting his wife during an Alaska Airlines flight because she was upgraded to first class without him, authorities said.

The alleged incident occurred on Alaska Airlines flight 275 from Seattle to Anchorage, Alaska, on July 2, according to a criminal complaint reviewed by PEOPLE. Roger Allan Holmberg Sr. and his wife, whose name was not provided, had been traveling from Virginia for an event related to their ministry, the complaint states.

Holmberg formerly worked as pastor at the Grace Baptist Temple in Anchorage, KKTV and Alaska News Source reported.

In a statement to PEOPLE, Alaska Airlines said, “We can confirm that Mr. Holmberg has been banned from our flights and a simple assault charge was filed against him by the U.S. Gov’t. (FBI) on July 3rd.

According to the complaint, Holmberg allegedly told his wife of 18 months, “How the hell did you get the upgrade?” The woman responded, “I'm a gold point member. Don't speak to me like that.”

Holmberg then handed his phone to his wife from the aisle, telling her to read it before giving her the middle finger, the complaint states. After that, a witness claimed they saw Holmberg “swing his arm” towards the woman. “[The witness] leaned forward to block the attempted strike, but [Holmberg] still appeared to strike the top of the victim’s head with his hand,” the complaint reads.

According to the complaint, another witness said they heard two passengers in the first class cabin being disruptive, with a woman saying, “You cannot be doing that.” Holmberg then headed to the first-class bathroom and when he got out, the witness told him, “if there were any further incidents, we would put him in handcuffs," the complaint states.

In an interview with police, Holmberg allegedly said he was “upset” that his wife had been upgraded to first class because he wanted her to travel with him and sit next to him, further claiming he “was not a violent person” and “did not intend to hurt his wife,” according to the complaint.

Holmberg claimed he “tapped his wife on the head in passing to get her attention,” the complaint states. He added that he was “not sure how others would interpret his interactions with his wife,” the complaint alleged.

He also allegedly told authorities that the two had been going to marriage counseling and that his wife was “disrespectful to him often and had anger issues.” Holmberg detailed an alleged incident when his wife grabbed his leg while he was driving and broke her finger.

According to the complaint, Holmberg’s wife allegedly told police that her husband had “a history of abusing her and had broken her finger in an incident last September.” 

She alleged that during the flight, Holmberg “struck her in the head with the back of his knuckles” while she was seated in the first-class cabin, the complaint states. The alleged victim added that “[Holmberg] knew she had epilepsy and that contact to [her] head could cause a seizure.” 

The flight crew notified law enforcement after learning of the alleged incident and Holmberg was arrested on a simple assault charge at Anchorage Airport, according to the complaint. He was subsequently taken to Anchorage Correctional Center but was later released on multiple conditions.

According to an order setting conditions of release reviewed by PEOPLE, a judge ordered Holmberg to not come within 100 yards of the alleged victim’s home or job, agree to submit a DNA sample and appear in court, among other conditions.

It’s unclear if Holmberg has entered a plea and records show his public defender was terminated on July 8. According to court records, his next court appearance is scheduled for July 29.