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LASER Safety Alert: Do not shine any LASER's at airplane, helicopters or anything else!
From The Boston Globe;
Man charged with shining laser at helicopter
Aircraft forced to take evasive action
By Matt Collette, Globe Correspondent | June 19, 2008
A Medford man was charged yesterday with shining a powerful green laser beam into a State Police helicopter escorting an LNG tanker through Boston Harbor in December, US Attorney Michael J. Sullivan announced yesterday.
Gerard Sasso, 49, of Medford, was arrested yesterday on charges that he interfered with the operation of an aircraft with reckless disregard for the safety of human life and that he made false statements.
Sasso will return to court in 20 days for a probable cause hearing, when he will enter a plea, said William D. Weinreb, the assistant US attorney prosecuting the case.
The crew of the helicopter flying on the night of Dec. 8, 2007, identified Sasso's third-floor studio apartment as the source of the beam, and neighbors corroborated that location with police, the complaint said. The pilots were forced to take evasive action.
Sasso denied to Medford police and State Police, who had gone to his apartment that evening, that he had shined the laser at the helicopter, said Christina DiIorio-Sterling, a spokeswoman for the US attorney.
But after police questioned him about a window overlooking the LNG facility being open despite the cold and a red laser device on his nightstand, Sasso apologized for shining the light and removed the green laser device from under a floorboard. Police found 10 laser devices in Sasso's apartment.
The laser Sasso is accused of using was classified by the Food and Drug Administration as a Class IIIb laser, which can cause burns, temporary blindness, and distractions, prosecutors said.
The charge of interfering with the operation of an aircraft carries a maximum 20-year imprisonment, five years supervised release, and a $250,000 fine; the charge of making false statements carries a maximum of five years imprisonment, three years supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.
From The Boston Globe;
Man charged with shining laser at helicopter
Aircraft forced to take evasive action
By Matt Collette, Globe Correspondent | June 19, 2008
A Medford man was charged yesterday with shining a powerful green laser beam into a State Police helicopter escorting an LNG tanker through Boston Harbor in December, US Attorney Michael J. Sullivan announced yesterday.
Gerard Sasso, 49, of Medford, was arrested yesterday on charges that he interfered with the operation of an aircraft with reckless disregard for the safety of human life and that he made false statements.
Sasso will return to court in 20 days for a probable cause hearing, when he will enter a plea, said William D. Weinreb, the assistant US attorney prosecuting the case.
The crew of the helicopter flying on the night of Dec. 8, 2007, identified Sasso's third-floor studio apartment as the source of the beam, and neighbors corroborated that location with police, the complaint said. The pilots were forced to take evasive action.
Sasso denied to Medford police and State Police, who had gone to his apartment that evening, that he had shined the laser at the helicopter, said Christina DiIorio-Sterling, a spokeswoman for the US attorney.
But after police questioned him about a window overlooking the LNG facility being open despite the cold and a red laser device on his nightstand, Sasso apologized for shining the light and removed the green laser device from under a floorboard. Police found 10 laser devices in Sasso's apartment.
The laser Sasso is accused of using was classified by the Food and Drug Administration as a Class IIIb laser, which can cause burns, temporary blindness, and distractions, prosecutors said.
The charge of interfering with the operation of an aircraft carries a maximum 20-year imprisonment, five years supervised release, and a $250,000 fine; the charge of making false statements carries a maximum of five years imprisonment, three years supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.
