Medical Copter Crew Confronts Person Who May Have Pointed Laser Into Cockpit
WELD COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4) - Investigators with the Weld County Sheriff's Office confirm they are interviewing the people involved in a Friday night incident that could result in federal charges.
Dep. Julio Sherman told CBS4 that a helicopter from Greeley-based Med Evac called in to county dispatch at approximately 11:30 p.m. Friday night. The crew stated that a laser was being pointed at the aircraft during flight.
Moments later, the crew radioed in that they had landed and were speaking with the individual who was allegedly pointing the laser at them.
WCSO's stated location for the incident is the 25000 block of Weld County Road 69, which is about nine mile east of the Greeley-Weld County Airport and 14 miles east of the North Colorado Medical Center in central Greeley. However, Sherman did not clarify if this was where the helicopter first encountered the laser or where it landed.
In a statement Saturday, the hospital told CBS4 a Med Evac helicopter "made a successful precautionary landing" north of Kersey at 11:55 p.m. Kersey is six miles west of the location noted by the sheriff's office.
"No patients were onboard during the emergency landing and no employees were injured in the incident," the hospital wrote in the statement.
Deputies were called to the scene and spoke then with the individual. By then, the Med Evac copter and crew had lifted off to address another call for service.
WCSO investigators are actively investigating the incident Saturday.
An official with the Federal Aviation Administration stated he had not been notified of any such incident in Colorado as of mid-afternoon.
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Weld officials asked anyone with information to contact the sheriff's office at (970) 356-4015 or Northern Colorado Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-TIPS (8477).
