Medford man charged with shining laser at helicopter

June 18, 2008 07:31 PM Email| Comments (0)| Text size – +

By Matt Collette, Globe Correspondent

A 49-year-old Medford man was charged in federal court today with shining a powerful green laser beam at a State Police helicopter escorting an LNG tanker through Boston Harbor in December.

Gerard Sasso was charged in a complaint with interfering with the operation of an aircraft with reckless disregard for safety, and with making false statements about his activities, the U.S. Attorney's office said in a statement.

Sasso was released on personal recognizance after an appearance in court today and will return to court in 20 days for a probable cause hearing, said William D. Weinreb, the prosecutor in the case.

The helicopter crew flying on the night of Dec. 8 identified Sasso’s third-floor studio apartment as the source of the beam and neighbors corroborated that location with police, the complaint alleged. The pilots were forced to take evasive action to avoid harm or distraction from the laser, prosecutors said.

Sasso welcomed Medford and State Police officers into his apartment that evening and denied he had shined the laser at the helicopter. After they questioned him about an open window that overlooked the LNG facility and a red laser on a nightstand, Sasso apologized for shining the light and removed the green laser from under a floorboard, said Christina DiIorio-Sterling, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney.

The laser Sasso allegedly used was classified by the Food and Drug Administration as a Class IIIb laser, which the complaint alleges has a high risk for causing burns, temporary blindness, and distractions.

The charge of interfering with the operation of an aircraft carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, 5 years supervised release, and a $250,000 fine; the charge of making false statements carries a maximum 5 years in prison, 3 years supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.