Posted on 04/01/2014 1:43:43 PM PDT by PaulCruz2016
A federal judge ordered 26-year-old Sergio Rodriguez to spend the next 14 years in prison Monday for “lasing” a police helicopter as a national crackdown on people who point lasers at aircraft intensifies.
Rodriguez was arrested in 2012 and convicted in December 2013 of attempting to interfere with the operation of an aircraft, which comes with a maximum 20-year sentence. His girlfriend Jennifer Coleman, now 23, was convicted of pointing a laser at an aircraft, a federal crime established months before the Clovis, Calif., couple’s arrest that’s punishable by five years in prison. She will be sentenced May 12.
The 14-year sentence is one of the stiffest so far for “lasing” an aircraft.
Although it’s unclear if an airplane or helicopter has crashed as a result of being laser-flashed, pilots, the Federal Aviation Administration and the Federal Bureau of Investigation say the hand-held devices can temporarily blind pilots during landings and take-off, potentially causing a calamity.
(Excerpt) Read more at usnews.com ...
Because people that do that are stupid, the police have opportunity to catch them in the act. I sometimes get concerned that when I am playing with my dog, having him chase the laser dot all over the yard, some overzealous Anaheim PD Chopper pilot will call in armageddon on me.
The shock of getting a ruby laser beam in your vision...is worth more that 10K believe me!
The bible says that the days of an eye for an eye are over,.. but sometimes I wonder...
“Unknowingly, the then-24-year-old struck not just any helicopter, but “Air George,” an emergency transport ambulance helicopter of Children’s Hospital of Central California. The helicopter was flying from Bakersfield to Fresno with a young patient, two crew members, and a pilot on board.”
Several ways. Once is if the stupid kid is dumb enough to do it from their house. A second is the FAA uses aircraft with laser detectors and fly the area trolling for idiots. The detector can instantly spot the location and the federal agents are there to make the arrest within seconds.
I noticed that it was done to a Police helicopter and that they had malicious intent, so California should charge both of them with two counts of First Degree Attempted Homicide of a police officer. Once they get out of the Fed pen, they should spend the rest of their lives in Sen Quentin Prison.
Good. This is not a harmless prank.
Good. This is not a harmless prank.
Good.
Somebody snitched.
Not a cat person myself but I have watched my son play this game with his cat, the cat, absolutely never tires of the chase.
How is this “justice”?
In theory if you put stoopid behind bars, then stoopid can’t vote. In theory.
It's fun with my cats too, but nothing like a 140 pound dog running, spinning and sliding around with abandon. It's just really important to have the session end with a reward for the dog to help wind down hunting instinct.
In theory if you put stoopid behind bars, then stoopid can’t vote. In theory.
**************
More importantly, it cannot reproduce.
The guy was an idiot. He went to the same trough to many times ie: he fired multiple times allowing to be pinpointed. Read the Arstechnica story. I get the impression it was a green laser. Sidewalk astronomers use that to point out constellations to lay people. The beam is visible. That draws a line straight back to the emitter.
If this moron had half a brain he would have used a spotting scope and high powered red emitter and not acted like 12 yr old on the 4th of July with his 1st sparkler in other words shoot and scoot. He just validates that LE usually catches the dumb ones. Hope he is used as an example. Good he got a few years.
I was thinking the same thing. And give this scum and the scumette life in prison with no parole.
If true justice was done, however, both would summarily executed since these kinds of people don't deserve to live.
I guess state-of-mind should be considered.
Regardless, this scumbag should be guilty of reckless endangerment of 100’s of passengers at least.
Attempted murder/terrorism at best...
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