Federal grand jury indicts woman for pointing laser at aircraft
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SHREVEPORT, Louisiana (KTBS) — A federal grand jury in Shreveport returned an indictment today charging a Shreveport woman with aiming a laser pointer at multiple aircraft flying in Caddo Parish, U.S. Attorney Brandon Brown said.
The indictment charges April Nicole Poitras, 45, of Shreveport, with two counts of aiming a laser pointer at an aircraft, which is a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 39(A).
It is alleged in the indictment that on or about Aug. 15, Poitras knowingly aimed a laser pointer at an aircraft and in the flight path of a Cessna 172L aircraft and an Airbus H125 aircraft. One of the aircraft belonged to the Baltimore Police Department’s helicopter crew that was on a training flight from Metro Aviation, the Shreveport company that built their aircraft.
A deputy who was patrolling in the area at the time was guided to Poitras by a spotlight from the helicopter. The deputy found Poitras pointing the green laser light at the aircraft and the ground.
If convicted, Poitras faces a sentence of up to 5 years in prison, 3 years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000, on each count in the indictment.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General, Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office, Blanchard Police Department and Baltimore Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Seth D. Reeg.
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