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US: Kansas City woman arrested for aiming laser at police helicopter

An unnamed Kansas City woman was arrested for a May 5 2018 incident where a laser beam was aimed at a Kansas City police helicopter.

The pilot was temporarily disoriented. He put on night vision goggles to prevent laser light from directly entering his eyes. He was able to direct officers on the ground to the woman, who was inside a car with a “long black cylinder-shaped laser pointer in her hand.”

Federal charges were filed against the 31-year-old woman.

According to KSHB, “Kansas City Police said the pilot flying the KCPD helicopter last month [May 2018] had a temporary deficiency in his vision and is currently recovering. The pilot is expected to return and fly again.”

The FBI said there were 110 cases of pilots reporting laser illuminations in Kansas City during 2017.

In January 2017, Jordan Clarence Rogers was sentenced to three years in federal prison for an October 2013 incident where he aimed a laser at a Kansas City police helicopter multiple times, resulting in several hours of eye strain for the pilot.

From June 1 2018 reports in the Kansas City Star, KSHB.com and Fox4KC.com