Palm Bay man arrested after shining laser at BCSO helicopter
A Palm Bay man was arrested on New Year’s night after shining a laser at the sheriff’s office helicopter as deputies assisted Palm Bay with an unrelated case, Sheriff Wayne Ivey said.
That evening, Brevard County Sheriff’s Office assisted Palm Bay Police in locating a suspect in a stabbing incident with the use of their STAR helicopter, Ivey said in a Facebook post.
During the search, as a deputy flew over the area of Minton Road and Malabar Road at about 10:45 p.m., he told law enforcement the aircraft had been hit several times by a laser and provided them with the address he believed it to be coming from, according to an arrest affidavit. He later added that the laser had blinded him to the point that he had to give the helicopter’s controls to a co-pilot, and that it had affected their equipment while trying to assist Palm Bay officers.
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Palm Bay police went to the provided address and spoke to resident Dean Boelet, 33, who admitted to shining his laser at the helicopter, the affidavit said.
He was charged with misuse of laser lighting devices and booked into Brevard County Jail early Monday morning. He was released from the jail Wednesday with a bond of $5,000.
In his Facebook post, Ivey said the pilot was uninjured after the incident.
“On a positive note, Pilot Brandon McIntyre was checked out earlier today by the optometrist and is cleared to fly following the incident,” he said. “A huge ‘thank you’ to the Palm Bay Police Department for their amazing partnership and assistance with locating and arresting Beolet!”
Finch Walker is a breaking news reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Walker at 321-290-4744 or fwalker@floridatoday.com. Twitter: @_finchwalker
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Palm Bay man arrested after flashing laser at BCSO helicopter
