Arlington

Arlington Man With 9/11 Tie to Plead in Child-Sex Case

A former American Airlines operations manager who learned of the first Sept. 11 hijacking before the jet struck the World Trade Center is set to plead guilty to a federal interstate child-sex charge in Pittsburgh.

Frank Walker, the attorney for 55-year-old Ray Howland, confirmed his client will plead guilty Wednesday afternoon.

Howland, of Arlington, was arrested near Pittsburgh International Airport last June by an undercover state attorney general's agent who posed as a woman with a 10-year-old daughter. Howland used an iPad and a cellphone to send explicit messages after posting online that he was "looking for a family or a couple of girls" for sex while in town on business,

Walker said the plea deal includes an agreed-upon 10-year prison sentence. He says Howland has undergone counseling and has his family's support.

Contact Us