ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – A 31-year-old man faces a felony charge after deputies said he pointed a laser at the pilot of an Orange County Sheriff’s Office helicopter.
Deputies said Frantz LaPlante pointed the laser at the department’s helicopter on Tuesday.
“Not only is it illegal, but it puts our flight crew in grave danger. Which in turn puts our community in great risk,” a release said in part.
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ARRESTED: Frantz LaPlante, 31, is facing a felony charge of pointing a laser light at a pilot after he carelessly did so to our helicopter on yesterday. Not only is it illegal, but it puts our flight crew in grave danger. Which in turn puts our community in great risk.
— Orange County Sheriff's Office (@OrangeCoSheriff) December 6, 2023
Here is a… pic.twitter.com/Xd839pwa5v
In January, Dean Beolet was also arrested in Brevard County after deputies said he pointed a laser multiple times at a helicopter belonging to the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office,
Orange County deputies also posted a link to a 2019 video explaining why it is a felony to point a laser at a pilot, noting that, “Anything that could affect the pilot of a 3,500-pound object that’s hovering above the residents of Central Florida is cause for concern.”
The video can be watched below:
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