A 44-year-old Madison Heights man was sentenced Wednesday to a year and a day in prison after admitting he aimed a laser at the occupants of a helicopter, temporarily blinding its pilot.
The aircraft turned out to be a federal Customs and Border Protection helicopter searching for human smugglers during 2010.
The incident occurred as the aircraft swept a neighborhood near 12 Mile and Dequindre.
Defendant Dennis Berthiaume was ‘playing’ with a green laser when he pointed it at the agents.
The pilot had to rip off his goggles, having been blinded as though he had looked at the sun. Luckily, the condition was only temporary.
Defendant admitted he tried to hide the laser after the helicopter lit up his house with its spotlight.
The prosecution argued that the helicopter could have gone out of control and crashed, and argued for a 20-month sentence.
Defense counsel Michael Friedman advocated for probation. He claimed his client’s ‘limited intellect’ could have been a factor.
Judge Victoria Roberts agreed with the prosecutor that the aircraft was endangered, but dealt out a lighter sentence.
Defendant Berthiaume was apologetic, though probation for such an act was probably out of the question.
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