A Winter Park man who flashed the cockpit of an Orange County sheriff’s helicopter with a laser light in April, could face 20 years in federal prison, reports wdbo.com.
Frank Newton Anderson, 43, was arrested on April 13, after deputies determined he was the suspect that illuminated the cockpit of an OCSO helicopter, temporarily blinding the pilot, near the intersection of Mercy Drive and Shader Road.
Deputies had located Anderson in a nearby parking lot as well as the laser device that he had tossed away, after he denied being in possession of a laser. Investigators found in Anderson’s possession a loaded firearm and numerous law enforcement related items. Further investigation revealed that the suspect owned a local private security business.
Anderson signed a plea agreement in Orlando federal court, and admitting to one count of interfering with the operation of the aircraft.
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. Shining a laser light into the cockpit of an aircraft is a third degree felony.
