Man charged with shining laser pointer at Trump helicopter

Washington: US authorities charged a man who shone a laser pointer at the presidential helicopter as it departed the White House with President Trump...

Washington: US authorities charged a man who shone a laser pointer at the presidential helicopter as it departed the White House with President Trump aboard, according to a court filing Monday.

A Secret Service officer saw Jacob Samuel Winkler, 33, shine a red laser beam from the sidewalk outside the White House grounds, pointing it at the Marine One helicopter as it took off on Saturday, an affidavit said.

Winkler was detained at the scene and charged with aiming a laser pointer at an aircraft -- a felony punishable by up to five years in prison.

Winkler's "conduct posed a risk of flash blindness and pilot disorientation, especially during low-level flight near other helicopters... and the Washington Monument," the filing said.

"This placed Marine One at risk of an airborne collision."