There’s good news and bad news for a Northwest Side man accused of pointing a laser at a Chicago Police Department helicopter this summer. The good news: Cook County prosecutors dropped three misdemeanor disorderly conduct charges against him stemming from the incident. The bad news: Federal prosecutors have now charged him with a felony that carries a potential prison sentence of up to five years.
On August 11, a CPD helicopter crew reported that someone was pointing a laser at the aircraft as it flew over Hermosa around 9:30 p.m., according to a CPD report reviewed by CWB Chicago. The helicopter’s onboard equipment enabled the crew to locate the person shining the laser, track him, and guide ground units to his location. Sophisticated mapping and night-vision camera systems helped the officers pinpoint the laser to a man standing on the second-floor rear deck of a home in the 4200 block of West Dickens Avenue.
Laser beams can temporarily blind or disorient pilots, potentially causing a fatal crash…