Teen Gets Prison Sentence in Cessna Citation Laser Incident

Stephen Pope

Tuesday, March 26, 2013 at 07:35 PM ET

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Key Takeaways:

A California teenager was sentenced to two and a half years in prison for aiming a commercial-grade laser pointer at an aircraft and a police helicopter.
This incident is part of a federal crackdown on laser-aircraft encounters, which became a federal crime in February 2012, making him the second person sentenced under this new law.
Commercial laser pointers can cause severe vision impairment, with the pilot in this case suffering vision issues that lasted for hours.

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A California teenager convicted of shining his laser pointer at two aircraft in flight has been sentenced to two and a half years in prison as part of a federal crackdown on such incidents.

Adam Gardenhire, 19, aimed his commercial-grade green laser in March 2012 at a Cessna Citation on approach to Bob Hope Airport in Burbank and then at a Pasadena police helicopter dispatched to find the source.