Spring Hill, FL – Just before 11 p.m. on Saturday, Hernando County Sheriff’s Deputies/Pilots Roy McLaughlin and Steve Kling, in Air-1, were assisting ground units in the search for a missing person on Dora Street. At roughly 10:56 p.m., an individual at 8416 Dora Street aimed a green laser light at the aircraft.
Ground units were deployed to the residence to address the situation while the individual persisted in targeting the aircraft. Deputies McLaughlin and Kling witnessed the person retreat into the house as they arrived, and they decided to return to the Sheriff’s Hangar.
Having experienced vision issues due to the laser exposure, both deputies sought medical attention at a local hospital. Subsequently, they contacted the suspect, Robert Alan Harper, who confessed to pointing the laser using an air-soft pellet gun equipped with a green laser.
Sheriff Al Nienhuis emphasized the dangers of such actions towards aircraft, highlighting the potential for temporary blindness that could result in catastrophic accidents. Harper, born on March 29, 1980, was arrested and charged with Misuse of Laser Lighting Device. He was issued a $15,000 bond, with the deputies expected to fully recover from the incident.