Man Indicted For Aiming Laser Pointer At Aircraft

DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) — A federal grand jury has indicted Steven Alexander Chavez, Jr., 23, on one count of aiming a laser pointer at an aircraft, according to U.S. Attorney Sarah R. Saldaña of the Northern District of Texas.

Special agents with the FBI arrested Chavez in Lubbock where he had recently relocated from Garland.

According to the indictment, on or about August 24, 2013, Chavez knowingly aimed the beam of a laser pointer at a Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) helicopter in Dallas.

A federal indictment is an accusation by a grand jury and a defendant is entitled to the presumption of innocence unless proven guilty. If convicted, Chavez faces a maximum statutory penalty of five years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine

The FBI, Texas DPS and Garland Police Department are investigating. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Burns is prosecuting.

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