WASHINGTON (AP) – President and Marine man accused of making laser pointers shine Donald Trump He was arrested on a helicopter on federal criminal charges, according to a court filing Monday.
Jacob Samuel Winkler, 33, of Washington, DC, is accused of aiming for the beam of a laser pointer on an aircraft, a felony punishable in a five-year maximum prison. Online court records do not list the lawyers representing him.
The Marines were in the air near the White House on Saturday. Affidavit. Officers said they lit the flashlight with a winkler.
Officers said Winkler glowed up at the helicopter laser pointer as Marine flew over her head. After officers handcuffed him, Winkler repeatedly spoke about apologizing to Trump, the affidavit says.
The court filing does not say whether the person on the helicopter noticed the laser. However, officers said Winkler’s actions could lead to temporary blindness and disruption to pilots, putting Marines at risk of airborne collisions with other helicopters in the area.
“This action puts Marines and everyone on board at risk,” US lawyer Janine Piro said in a statement. “If you are engaged in this law, you will be identified and charged to the fullest extent of the law.”
Winkler told investigators he was referring to the laser “with all sorts of things, like stop signs,” and he didn’t know that Marines couldn’t point it to that, the affidavit tells him. According to officers, investigators found a small knife in his possessions.
