Central Valley man who shined a laser pointer at a police helicopter two years ago was sentenced to 14 years in prison Monday, a stiff sentence that comes during a national crackdown on “lasing” aircraft, authorities said.
In handing down the penalty, U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. O’Neill said distracting pilots with lasers is a serious offense with potentially deadly consequences.
A Fresno police helicopter was hit with a laser pointer in 2012, prompting a 14-year prison term for the man convicted of causing the distraction.
The Federal Aviation Administration counted 3,960 reports of people aiming lasers at aircraft in 2013 — or about 11 incidents per day. Police and medical response helicopters are among the most vulnerable to the distraction because they fly at low elevations.
Sergio Patrick Rodriguez, 26, of Clovis, and his girlfriend Jennifer Lorraine Coleman, 23, were convicted of using a high-powered laser pointer to strike the cockpits of a Fresno police helicopter and a hospital transport helicopter near the Fresno Yosemite International Airport in the summer of 2012.
Crew members on both flights testified that the laser interfered with their vision.
“Lasing aircraft is not a joke or a casual prank,” said Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent Monica Miller, who handled the case. “It is reckless behavior that can have fatal consequences for air crew, passengers and the public on the ground. Rodriguez’s sentence clearly demonstrates the seriousness of his actions.”
Coleman faces up to five years in prison at her sentencing, scheduled for May.
Judge O’Neill cited Rodriguez’s criminal past, which includes probation violations and gang affiliation, as additional reasons for the sentence.