An Edcouch man faces state charges for allegedly pointing a laser pointer at a Texas Department of Public Service helicopter last week, court records show.
On Saturday, just before 11 p.m., a DPS trooper was dispatched to an area in Edcouch near Mile 2 and Texas Highway 107 to locate a male subject who had allegedly pointed a laser at a DPS helicopter moments earlier.
The trooper eventually made contact with a man named Luz Fernando Soliz.
“Soliz stated he knowingly and intentionally pointed the laser toward the air in the direction of the (DPS helicopter),” the complaint against Soliz stated. “According to DPS 108, the laser pointer was sufficient enough to impair the pilot’s ability to safely operate (the) aircraft.”
The trooper subsequently seized the laser pointer from Soliz, the complaint stated.
Soliz was booked into Hidalgo County jail Sunday on one count of illumination of aircraft by intense light, a class A misdemeanor, and released Monday on a $2,000 cash surety bond, jail records show.
If convicted of the class A misdemeanor, the 41-year-old Soliz faces up to a year in county jail and up to $4,000 in fines.
