(KMJ) – 28-year old Johnny Alexander Quenga of Fresno entered a guilty plea on Monday to aiming the beam of a laser pointer at a Fresno Police helicopter.
In pleading guilty, Quenga acknowledged that he repeatedly struck the aircraft with a powerful green laser attached to an airsoft rifle. As a result, the airmen experienced visual interference, flash blindness, after-imaging, a persistent headache lasting several hours, and dizziness.
Quenga is scheduled for sentencing on January 19, 2016. He faces a maximum statutory penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The case against Quenga was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Fresno Police Department.
Reports of laser attacks have increased dramatically in recent years as powerful laser devices have become more affordable and widely available to the public. In 2014, the Federal Aviation Administration received 3,894 reports of incidents involving laser strikes on aircraft. In the Eastern District of California, which encompasses 34 counties in the eastern portion of California, there were 150 reported incidents, with the majority in Bakersfield, Fresno, and Modesto.
