Local News in Brief : Near-Hit Pilot Arraigned

An Army private who allegedly piloted a small plane too close to President Reagan’s helicopter last summer was arraigned in Los Angeles Monday on charges of submitting false statements to government agents.

Ralph William Myers, 33, entered no plea because the judge assigned to his case was out of town. An attorney for Myers said he expects his client will plead innocent when he appears before U.S. District Judge Manuel Real next Monday.

Myers is accused of lying to investigators when he told them he accidentally penetrated restricted air space over the President’s ranch in the mountains near Santa Barbara after losing a contact lens.