DENVER — A Denver man faces up to five years in prison after prosecutors said he allegedly aimed a green laser pointer at a Denver Police Department (DPD) helicopter during a demonstration the day after the general election.
Logan Debyle appeared in federal court for the first time on Thursday, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
According to prosecutors, Debyle used a laser pointer to illuminate the cockpit of a DPD helicopter while they were flying over a protest in Cheesman Park the night of Nov. 4.
The flight crew saw two men they believed were associated with the laser pointer, and they were detained by DPD officers on the ground, prosecutors said.
The other man was not identified by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and it’s not clear if he also faces charges.
The protest in Cheesman Park was one of multiple in Denver after the election. Some were in support of President Donald Trump and others were in support of President-elect Joe Biden.
This isn't the first recent case of people allegedly pointing lasers at aircraft.
Back in February, someone allegedly pointed a laser at a medevac helicopter in Weld County.
In 2012, President Obama signed an anti-laser measure into federal law, stating that any person caught willfully striking an aircraft with a laser pointer could face five years in federal prison.
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