Sunday, August 30, 2015

Henrico County man jailed for lasering police plane



HENRICO COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — Michael Pollock, 52, could face hard time for taking aim at a police plane over the weekend.

Officers were on routine patrol, flying near Parham and Interstate 64 when they say the Henrico County man lasered the plane.

“It was a laser pointer. One of those almost like a pen that you just point and aim,” explained Henrico County Police Lieutenant Chris Eley.

That bright beam of light can be dangerous. It can distract or even blind pilots as they fly overheard.

Nothing happened this time, but police reacted quickly to pick Pollock up.

“The pilot called up the ground units and they came and found him and took him into custody. Turned out he did the same thing the night before with a different pilot,” explained Ely.

Pollock’s charged with two misdemeanors for intentionally pointing a laser at an aircraft.

He denied our request for an interview from jail.

However, the suspect’s mother, who was at home with her son when this happened, told 8News Pollock made a poor choice.

She added he is devastated by the repercussions.

Unfortunately, this dangerous trend of is a growing problem across the country.


There have been more than 2,700 laser attacks already this year.

The judge denied bond for Pollock, but his cases in Henrico County are the least of his problems.

There’s a good chance the FAA could file felony charges against him which ultimately might mean up to five years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine.

http://wric.com


Michael Pollock (Source: Henrico Police Dept.)

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