The Associated Press
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - A Florida man is facing federal charges after he was arrested for allegedly pointing a laser at a sheriff's department helicopter.
Prosecutors said Friday that 23-year-old Dimitry Maksimchuk of Orlando shined the laser into the cockpit of a Seminole County Sheriff's Department helicopter in July.
If convicted he faces up to five years in prison and $250,000 in fines. The charges come from a new law enacted because of a growing number of incidents in which pilots have been distracted or temporarily blinded by lasers.
Maksimchuk's court-appointed attorney did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
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