6 teens face charges after pointing laser at police helicopter

Six teens face charges after a laser beam was pointed at a police helicopter in Oshawa last month.

Durham Regional Police’s Air1 chopper was on patrol July 29 around 12:30 a.m. when a laser beam penetrated the cockpit. The pilot wasn’t affected and the helicopter landed safely, but police said the beam hit another person in the aircraft who suffered temporary vision problems.

Police said they traced the source of the beam to the backyard of a home on Dunrobin Court. An 18-year-old man was arrested and police said a laser was seized.

Robert Roughly is facing several charges, including assault with a weapon causing bodily harm, mischief endangering life and common nuisance. He’s also facing two charges under the Aeronautics Acts and another under the Canadian Aviation Act.

On Monday police announced they’d arrested five other teens, all 18 and from Oshawa, who investigators claim were in the backyard when the laser was directed at the helicopter.

Curtis Lee, Aaron Mountjoy, Andrew Capesky, Dale Branton and Alana Capesky are facing the same charges as Roughly.

If convicted, the two charges under the Aeronautics Act carry a maximum fine of $100,000 or five years in jail.

Anyone with information on this case is asked to call police at 1-888-579-1520 ext. 5303 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.

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