A Mississippi man will spend three years under probation and nine months under home confinement for pointing a laser pointer at airplanes flying to and from Memphis International Airport (MEM).
Eugene Conrad, 52, of Michigan City, Mississippi, was sentenced earlier this month after pleading guilty to the charges in federal court in December. For the crimes, he faced up to five years in federal prison, three years supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.
On July 15th, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) notified the FBI Memphis Field Office of reports that planes flying into MEM from the east were consistently being struck in the cockpit and cabin by a green laser. The laser beams seemed to be coming from the Hardeman County, Tennessee and Benton County, Mississippi areas near the Tennessee/Mississippi border. From January 1, 2021 to July 15, 2021 there were 49 strikes by a green laser on aircraft, mainly FedEx planes.
There were 49 strikes by a green laser on aircraft, mainly FedEx planes.
On July 16th, agents looked for the source of the lights in Salsbury, Tennessee. While they were there, MEM’s air traffic control relayed reports that planes were being struck by a laser. FBI agents saw the light long enough to get its general vicinity but the laser stopped before they could find the source.
In August, agents looked around Salsbury again. This time they had a plane from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) with a camera attached. At around 9:30 pm, the TBI aircraft entered the area over Hardeman County, Tennessee and almost immediately began reporting laser strikes originating from the south and southwest.
The TBI plane circled the area several times. Surveillance equipment pinpointed an individual standing in front of a house at the intersection of Whippoorwill Road and Hamer Road in Benton County, Mississippi near the Tennessee/Mississippi border.
When agents arrived on the scene, they saw a male, later identified as Conrad, walking around a house while lasering the plane. A green laser pointer was found in an outdoor trashcan. Conrad admitted to law enforcement to intentionally striking planes flying near his residence with the green laser for several months.
This is not a game. It is a criminal act.
Douglas Korneski, special agent in charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Memphis Field Office
“It is important that people understand this is not a game,” said Douglas M. Korneski, special agent in charge of the FBI Memphis Field Office. “It is a criminal act with potential deadly consequences for pilots, crew, and passengers.
“When the powerful beam of light from a handheld laser is aimed at an aircraft, the light can illuminate a cockpit and blind pilots. Aiming a laser pointer at an aircraft is a serious matter and a violation of federal law.”
