Hazelwood Resident Learns the "Hard Way" That Laser Abuse Is Not Cool

A Hazelwood resident has seen the light and regrets actions he took more than one year ago when he lived in O'Fallon, which caused him to spend the night in jail and be put on a probationary period called pretrial diversion for a year.

According to a St. Louis Post Dispatch report, 26-year-old Justin Stouder, was playing with a new laser pointer and curious to see how far it would reach when he pointed it at a passing helicopter.

The impulsive decision on April 27, 2010 temporarily blinded the pilot, police officer Doug Reinholz, but according to a KMOV report, officials at a news conference Monday at FBI headquarters said it could have been much worse.

"If you've ever had another driver shine high beams on you at night, you know how blinding that can be when you're driving," said Dennis Baker, the FBI agent in charge of the St. Louis office. "The lasers are even more intense for pilots."

Lasers pointed at aircraft are a steadily increasing issue. According to an AP report, the Federal Aviation Administration said that in 2005, there were fewer than 300 incidents. Last year, 2,836 were reported, and in some cases, pilots had to relinquish control of an aircraft to a co-pilot because of temporary vision loss.

In Stouder's case, a friend and he were in the front yard of his then O'Fallon home using a legal, mid-sized laser pointer, according to the St. Louis Post Dispatch report.

"People don't realize by the time the laser hits us, the beam of light has grown, it's no longer a pinpoint," Reinholz said at the conference. "It lit the aircraft up like it was right underneath us."

Assistant U.S. Attorney Ray Meyer said Stouder was not prosecuted or fined for the incident, in part because his intent was not malicious.

Last month, the FAA announced that people who misuse lasers could be subject to a civil fine of up to $11,000. Read more about this check out the St. Louis Post Dispatch report.

CORRECTION: A previous version of this article stated that Justin Stouder was put on probation. He was actually put on a a probationary period called pretrial diversion.