A Dundalk, Maryland, man pleaded guilty Wednesday to aiming the beam of a laser pointer at a police helicopter, officials said.
James Robert Hensler, 24, pleaded guilty to pointing the laser on Sept. 30, 2014.
According to court documents, a Baltimore County police helicopter was flying over the area of Patapsco High School when the cockpit was illuminated twice by a green laser beam.
Two flight officers in the helicopter directed a spotlight on the person whom they saw illuminate the cockpit and called for ground units to respond.
Ground units saw Hensler in the area and questioned him but he denied having anything to do with the laser. The flight officers directed the ground officers to a location where they had seen Hensler put his hand prior to the ground officers’ arrival.
The responding officers found the laser pointer. When they showed it to Hensler, he admitted he had used it to hit the helicopter because he wanted to see how far the laser could shine.
"Pointing a laser pointer at any aircraft is a serious matter, as it threatens the lives of those on the aircraft as well as people on the ground," Chief James Johnson of the Baltimore County Police Department said. " Johnson added the crew was lukcy the incident "did not lead to a tragic loss of life.”
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Hensler faces a maximum of five years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. He also has to pay a fine of $250,000. He is scheduled to be sentenced on March 25, 2015.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein and FBI Special Agent in Charge Stephen E. Vogt and Johnson.
“People may think of this as a harmless prank, but pointing a laser at a pilot creates an undeniable danger for everyone on board that aircraft," Vogt said. "We ask the public to contact us with any information they may have about similar incidents."
