Denver Gives United Airlines Pilot $300K Because He’s Not a Flasher

404195 01: A United Airlines pilot walks through a pedestrian overpass en route to the UA terminal April 19, 2002 at O''Hare International Airport in Chicago. United Airlines parent UAL Corp. reported a $510 million first-quarter loss April 19, its second-biggest setback ever, reflecting its continued struggles to lure back business travelers in a skittish economy. The loss was the seventh in a row for the nation's second-biggest carrier, exceeded only by the $1.16 billion loss in last year's third quarter, when the terrorist attacks threw the airline industry into crisis. Passenger revenues tumbled 28 percent, largely due to schedule cutbacks made last fall. (Photo by Tim Boyle/Getty Images)

A United Airlines pilot who was arrested for allegedly exposing himself from a hotel room overlooking Denver International Airport back in September of 2018 is to receive $300,000 from the City of Denver.

Captain Andrew Collins, who was staying at the airport’s Westin Hotel, was arrested after he was spotted by members of the public standing naked in front of the window of his room on the property’s 10th floor. According to information from an arrest warrant issued for Captain Collins at the time, the 54-year-old was charged with indecent exposure.

Speaking of the incident to The Denver Post in the fall of 2018, Captain Collins admitted that he had stood naked in front of his hotel room window, but sought to clarify various eyewitness reports given at the time. “Some witnesses said I was dancing, gyrating and waving. I’m completely innocent. It’s really unfortunate that it happened at all,” he explained.

Captain Collins added, “I was getting ready for a shower and was talking on the phone. It was a beautiful morning and I opened the curtains to my window. I couldn’t see the terminal.”

Following his arrest, he was suspended from duty at United and was due to go before a judge on December 5^th, 2018.

However, as The Denver Channel reported earlier this week, the charges against Captain Collins were dismissed and he was deemed to have been wrongfully arrested.

Craig Silverman, Captain Collins’ attorney, commented on the case to CBS4, saying, “The criminal case against Captain Collins was properly dismissed, but not before Captain Collins was suspended for half a year from his job as a direct result of the wrongful charges against him.”

“The DIA Westin needs to make changes to warn hotel guests that the interiors of its hotel rooms do not afford privacy but are in fact visible to unseen people far away in the Denver International Airport terminal. The DIA Westin should take responsibility for its own behavior on September 20, 2018 and take appropriate steps to make sure that what happened to Captain Collins never happens to another customer,” he added.

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