Hundreds of laser strikes on aircraft are reported across Washington each year, but King County prosecutors said a loophole in state law makes it nearly impossible to hold anyone accountable, even when suspects admit to pointing the beam.
The issue centers on Washington’s unlawful discharge of a laser statute, which requires prosecutors to prove a defendant both knowingly and maliciously pointed a laser at an aircraft. That two-pronged standard has become an insurmountable barrier in court, according to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office (KCPAO).
Casey McNerthney, a KCPAO spokesperson, said the problem was illustrated in a recent case in which a man admitted to targeting a helicopter with a laser pointer. The man told investigators he had been casually playing with the laser when he spotted the helicopter. Police arrested him, and prosecutors charged him with unlawful discharge of a laser, a felony. But a court found him not guilty…