NoHo man indicted for allegedly flashing private, police aircraft with laser

An 18-year-old North Hollywood man has been indicted under a recently approved law that makes it a federal crime to deliberately point a laser at an aircraft.

Adam Gardenhire was arrested this morning at his North Hollywood home after allegedly pointing a laser at a private Cessna aircraft on approach to Bob Hope Airport on March 29. He then allegedly pointed the laser at a police helicopter that had been called in to find the source of the flash.

Gardenhire was named in a two-count indictment filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles under a statute signed by President Obama that makes such laser incidents a federal crime.

He is only the second person in the U.S. to be charged under the federal statute, according to an announcement today from the FBI.

Gardenhire was arrested about two hours after the first flash was reported at about 8:45 p.m. March 29. He posted bail and was released to his parents while a joint investigation was carried out by the FBI and U.S. Attorney’s Office, which filed the indictment.

-- Jason Wells, Times Community News

Twitter: @JasonBretWells