Directing light emitted from laser device at aircraft with intent to interfere with operation of aircraft; penalty.

Vegas Defense Lawyer Explains Pointing Laser at Aircraft

In Nevada, many dangerous behaviors that present a risk to public safety have been classified as criminal acts. Title 15 is the part of Nevada’s code that details crimes and punishments and within title 15, Chapter 202 is the part of the penal code that defines offenses made illegal because of the risk to public health and safety.

Many different kinds of behaviors are considered to be crimes because of the danger to the public. For example, within Chapter 202, there is a subsection related to bomb threats and another related to weapons offenses. There are also a variety of miscellaneous crimes against public safety which have been grouped together into their own subcategory of offenses in Chapter 202.

One of the miscellaneous crimes against public safety made unlawful in chapter 202 is the crime of directing the light emitted from a laser device at an aircraft. If you have been accused of committing this offense, you could face serious penalties if convicted. LV Criminal Defense can help you to fight against conviction. Our Vegas criminal law firm has extensive experience providing representation to defendants accused of all different kinds of crimes against public safety, and we can put our extensive knowledge of Nevada Title 15 Chapter 202 to work to help defend your rights as you navigate the criminal justice system.

Nevada Revised Statute Section 202.585: Directing Light Emitted from a Laser Device at an Aircraft with Intent to Interfere With Aircraft Operation

The statute within Nevada’s penal code that deals with directing light from a laser device at an aircraft with the intent to interfere with air craft operations is Nevada Revised Statute section 202.585. According to the relevant law, you can be fund guilty of a criminal offense if you willfully direct towards an aircraft any light from a laser device or from any other source capable of interfering with the aircraft.

A prosecutor must prove you intentionally targeted the light at the aircraft in order to secure a conviction. The prosecutor also must prove that your intent in targeting the light at the aircraft was specifically to interfere with the operation of the aircraft.

If you are found guilty of this offense, the penalty will vary depending upon the circumstances. The crime is considered to be a misdemeanor offense as long as no person who was on the air craft sustained injury as a result of the light being targeted at the plane. However, if the light results in injury to any person on the aircraft, if the light causes damage to the aircraft, or if the light causes damage to any of the equipment that is used to aid in navigating or operating the air craft, you can be charged with a Category E felony.

The statute specifically defines air craft broadly to include any contrivance that is intended to transport people through air space and that is capable of transporting people through air space. A laser device is defined broadly as well to include a device that makes use of the natural oscillations of atoms or molecules between energy levels in order to generate coherent electromagnetic radiation in the ultraviolet, visible, or infrared region of the spectrum. To be considered a laser device, the light, when it is discharged, must exceed one milliwatt continuous wave.