November 18, 2015

Terry Resident Indicted for Aiming Laser Pointer at Aircraft

JACKSON, MS—Landon Albritton, age 20, of Terry, Mississippi, has been charged in a federal indictment with knowingly aiming the beam of a laser pointer at an aircraft or its flight path in the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States, announced U.S. Attorney Gregory K. Davis and Special Agent in Charge Donald Alway with the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Mississippi.

According to the indictment in this case, the incident occurred on August 6, 2015. Albritton was arraigned today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Linda R. Anderson. The case is scheduled for trial before U.S. District Judge Henry T. Wingate on January 4, 2016. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Reports of laser attacks have increased dramatically in recent years as powerful laser devices have become more affordable and widely available to the public. Lasers can completely incapacitate pilots who are trying to fly safely to their destination, endangering crew members, passengers and people on the ground. If you have information about a lasing incident or see someone pointing a laser at an aircraft, call your local FBI field office or dial 911.

The public is reminded that a criminal indictment is a formal charge against a defendant. It is merely an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.