A Winter Park man who directed a high-intensity green laser light into the cockpit of an Orange County Sheriff’s helicopter on Tuesday night and then tried to ditch the device in an effort to cover up evidence, has been arrested.
According to OCSO:
On April 13, 2010 at approximately 10:56 PM Orange County Deputies responded to the intersection of Mercy Drive and Shader Road following a report from the pilot flying the agency’s helicopter that someone at that location had illuminated the cockpit of the aircraft with a laser emitting device temporarily blinding him.
With assistance from the flight crew deputies located the vehicle identified as the source of the laser light in a nearby parking lot and made contact with a man the flight crew observed getting out of it. He was the sole occupant of the vehicle. During their initial contact with the suspect deputies found him to be in possession of a loaded firearm and numerous law enforcement related items. Further investigation revealed that the suspect owned a local private security business.
The flight crew landed the helicopter and advised Deputies investigating the incident that the man they had in custody was the man who got out of the vehicle determined to be the source of the laser light. The suspect denied being in possession of a laser but a search of the area recovered a “class 3B” laser device on the street nearby and evidence inside the vehicle associated with the device found on the roadway.
Based on information provided by the helicopter flight crew and evidence recovered at the scene by investigating deputies the suspect, Frank Newton Anderson, was arrested and charged with multiple charges that are detailed on the attached arrest affidavit.
See details and Arrest Affidavit of Frank N. Anderson HERE
The public needs to be aware of the fact that shining a laser light into the cockpit of an aircraft puts the flight crew and the public at tremendous risk. The intensity of the laser light simply hitting the windscreen of an aircraft can temporarily deprive a flight crew their ability to see their instruments or the horizon and could lead to the loss of control of the aircraft. Should that light hit the pilot directly in the eyes permanent blindness could result. Shining a laser light into the cockpit of an aircraft is a third degree felony.
