Man Pleads No Contest to Reflecting Sun at Small Planes

An elderly resident of the Antelope Valley desert near Llano pleaded no contest Wednesday to charges that he used a mirror to shine blinding sunlight at pilots landing and taking off at a nearby airfield.

Lancaster Municipal Judge Frank Jackson sentenced Alcide Chaisson, 70, to 180 days probation and 45 days community service after Chaisson reached a plea agreement with prosecutors. Chaisson faced up to four years in jail on four counts of obstructing a flight path.

The charges stemmed from recurring incidents last December when pilots landing and taking off at Crsytallaire Airfield near Pearblossom Highway and 165th Street East reported being bothered by a ray of light beaming up at them from the desert. Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies traced the light to Chaisson’s property, where he lives in a trailer, cited him and confiscated a four-foot square mirror.

Chaisson readily admitted Thursday that he had flashed light at the pilots over the past several years. He said the planes fly too low over his property and bother him with incessant noise.

Chaisson, a retired contractor who represented himself in court, agreed to the no-contest plea after being assured that he could pursue civil action to stop the aircraft noise.

“I’m going to sue for millions of dollars,” he said.