Man arrested for pointing laser at Kootenai County helicopter

KOOTENAI COUNTY, Idaho - A man was arrested for pointing a high-powered laser at a Kootenai County Regional Air Support helicopter, Friday night.

Kootenai County Sheriff's Office said they were conducting a routine patrol on their helicopter, ABLE 1, when someone on the ground began pointing a laser at the helicopter around 10:45 p.m.

KCSO said the pilot and two flight officers on board were wearing night vision goggles to navigate the area they were patrolling. The laser was 'amplified' by their goggles and caused the pilot to suddenly lose airspeed and drop altitude due to the impaired vision.

The flight officers were able to locate the suspect in a parking lot from the helicopter's infrared camera and helped deputies find the suspect on the ground.

The suspect is a 30-year-old man from Coeur d'Alene and he was arrested for three counts of felony assault and disorderly conduct.

The FAA and FBI were notified and are investigating the incident. The FBI said that interfering with operation of an aircraft with a laser is a felony which can lead to a maximum of 20 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.

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