Laserstraff - Curt Lewis

Houston man sentenced to 48 months for shining laser at DPS helicopter


Bryan Aldana was sentenced to prison for aiming a laser pointer at an Airbus AS350.
The photo shows the same type of aircraft that was involved in the incident.
Photo: Bob Owen, STAFF

A 20-year-old man has been sentenced to 48 months in prison for aiming a green laser last year at a Texas Department of Public Safety helicopter as it flew over northwest Houston, according to federal officials.

Bryan Aldana was caught shining the laser pointer at the Airbus AS350 aircraft as it flew about 1,000 feet above him near Hollister and Pitner Roads during a June 23 patrol.

The light illuminated the cockpit and forced the pilot to veer away from it because of the glare, officials said.

Houston police officers helped pin down the origin of the laser to a parking lot outside the T&T Food Mart where Aldana was among seven people sitting outside the business, according to court documents.

An officer saw the laser pointer in the sedan but Aldana told him that someone else was playing with it and had since left, documents stated. Surveillance footage from the business showed Aldana wielding the pointer.

Aldana was out on bond when he was convicted in April. He was returned to custody in June for an unspecified violation of the terms of his release.

Aldana will undergo three years of supervised release after he completes his stint in prison.