Lubbock Man Pleads Guilty to Aiming Laser Pointer at DPS Helicopter

A Lubbock man pleaded guilty to aiming a laser pointer at an helicopter while living in Garland, Texas, and now faces up to five years in federal prison.

Steven Alexander Chavez Jr., 23, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to one count of pointing a laser pointer at an aircraft in Aug. 2013. According to the Department of Justice, court records indicate Chavez knowingly aimed the laser at a Department of Public Safety helicopter from a friend’s backyard.

FBI special agents arrested Chavez days later in Lubbock, where he had recently located, said the Department of Justice.

Chavez faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.