St. Lucie County - Monday June 26, 2023: A Port St. Lucie Man has been arrested on a felony charge misusing a laser lighting device.
34-year-old Robert Raymond Kasprzak is accused of flashing a green laser beam "multiple times" at a St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office Aviation Unit shortly after midnight Saturday June 24. That cased the crew to experience temporary flash blindness.
The Aviation Unit worked alongside the Port St. Lucie Police Department to immediately identify and track the suspect vehicle to the Florida Turnpike service plaza just north of Crosstown Parkway in Port St. Lucie. Upon arrival, Port St. Lucie Police officers arrested Kasprzak. He faces up to 5 years imprisonment and a $5,000 fine.
“It is extremely important for the public to know that it is a federal crime to aim a laser pointer at an aircraft," said Sheriff Ken Mascara. "Doing so triggers temporary blindness and could have deadly consequences for the crew and the public and cause catastrophic damage to the aircraft and any structure within its path.”
Kasprzak was transported to the St. Lucie County Jail and released on a $2,500 bond.
CLICK on this link to view video of the incident: https://fb.watch/lpEhjgiX1j/.