COEUR D’ALENE, Wash. — A Post Falls man will spend the next 35 months in federal prison for pointing a laser at a Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office helicopter.
According to the Department of Justice, 31-year-old Aspen Schaffer was indicted in September 2024 for the crime.
DOJ says Schaffer was out with friends when he pointed a bright green laser at a sheriff’s office helicopter. Multiple people on board the helicopter were blinded and momentarily lost altitude.
Law enforcement officers were able to locate Schaffer’s car and pulled him over. He had a blood alcohol level at .11 at the time of his booking. Schaffer also had prior felony convictions.
Schaffer will spend an additional three years on supervised released following his prison sentence.
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