Man indicted in pointing of laser
A 36-year-old man from Orange who allegedly shined a green laser beam at three commercial jets and a police helicopter in May appeared in federal court Monday, authorities said.
Dana Christian Welch faces three charges of having “willfully interfered with and disabled, with a reckless disregard for the safety of human life” pilots flying Alaska, Delta and United airlines planes attempting to land at John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana, according to a grand jury indictment released by the FBI. Powerful laser beams aimed in pilots’ eyes can cause temporarily blindness.
Welch also allegedly flashed a laser at a police helicopter dispatched to find the source of the light, and he faces one charge of willfully attempting to interfere with and disable an individual operating an aircraft for that incident.
Welch, on parole for drug and weapons charges when arrested, faces a maximum of 80 years in prison.
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-- Susannah Rosenblatt
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