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US: Laser strikes near Savannah airport lead FBI, county to offer $2500 reward
30 Jan 2020 -- Categories: Aviation incidents | Finding perpetrators | Arrests | Fines & Jail | Updated story
On January 29 2020, the FBI and the Effingham County (Georgia) Sheriff's Office are offering a $2,500 reward for any information leading to an arrest and conviction of the suspect(s).
This came as a result of laser strikes on airplanes approaching Savannah Hilton Head International Airport. Since November 2019 there were three illuminations from an area of Effingham County, 10-15 miles northwest of Savannah.
The county sheriff said that additional laser strikes had occurred prior to November, and the general area of the strikes was recently identified.
Anyone with information can call the Effingham County Sheriff's Office at 912-754-3449.
From WJCL.com
UPDATE November 11 2020: A 48-year-old from Rincon, Georgia was indicted for aiming a laser pointer at aircraft on three separate occasions from November 2019 to January 2020. Details are in a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Georgia (below, in blue type).
UPDATE August 26, 2021: Roger Floyd Hendricks pleaded guilty to aiming a laser pointer at an aircraft. He was sentenced to 18 months in prison followed by three years of probation. Details are in a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Souther District of Georgia (below, in red type).
This came as a result of laser strikes on airplanes approaching Savannah Hilton Head International Airport. Since November 2019 there were three illuminations from an area of Effingham County, 10-15 miles northwest of Savannah.
The county sheriff said that additional laser strikes had occurred prior to November, and the general area of the strikes was recently identified.
Anyone with information can call the Effingham County Sheriff's Office at 912-754-3449.
From WJCL.com
UPDATE November 11 2020: A 48-year-old from Rincon, Georgia was indicted for aiming a laser pointer at aircraft on three separate occasions from November 2019 to January 2020. Details are in a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Georgia (below, in blue type).
UPDATE August 26, 2021: Roger Floyd Hendricks pleaded guilty to aiming a laser pointer at an aircraft. He was sentenced to 18 months in prison followed by three years of probation. Details are in a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Souther District of Georgia (below, in red type).
PRESS RELEASE AFTER INDICTMENT
An Effingham County resident has been indicted on federal charges for aiming a powerful laser at commercial aircraft.
Roger Floyd Hendricks, 48, of Rincon, was indicted by a U.S. District Court grand jury on three counts of Aiming a Laser Pointer at an Aircraft, said Bobby L. Christine, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. Each count carries a possible penalty of up to five years in prison and substantial fines, followed by a period of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
“Pointing a laser at an aircraft is not a prank; it’s incredibly dangerous and stupid,” said U.S. Attorney Christine. “The FBI did an outstanding job of locating and stopping this threat to hundreds of Savannah air travelers.”
The Federal Aviation Administration contacted the FBI in February for assistance in locating the source of three separate green laser strikes on aircraft inbound to the Savannah-Hilton Head International Airport. According to the indictment, those strikes included:
Hendricks was charged after he was identified in the FBI investigation.
In the past year, the FAA reports that nationwide there were more than 6,000 laser strikes on aircraft in United States airspace.
“Aiming a laser at an airplane is not a game, it’s a federal felony and something the FBI takes very seriously,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “These alleged actions placed the lives of innocent air travelers and commercial airline crews in danger and must be prosecuted.”
Criminal indictments contain only charges; defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The case was investigated by the FBI, and is being prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer G. Solari and Joshua S. Bearden.
PRESS RELEASE AFTER SENTENCING
An Effingham County resident has been sentenced to federal prison after admitting he aimed a powerful laser at commercial aircraft.
Roger Floyd Hendricks, 48, of Rincon, was sentenced to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty to Aiming a Laser Pointer at an Aircraft, said David H. Estes, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. U.S. District Court Judge William T. Moore Jr. also ordered Hendricks to serve three years of supervised release after completion of his prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
“With the public’s assistance, the FBI did an outstanding job of identifying Roger Hendricks as the man responsible for aiming a powerful laser at inbound Savannah aircraft,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Estes. “Laser strikes are potentially deadly not only for pilots blinded by the lasers, but also for air travelers and residents in the path of aircraft. Hendricks is being held accountable for his criminal actions.”
The investigation began in February 2020 when the Federal Aviation Administration asked the FBI in February for assistance in locating the source of three separate green laser strikes on aircraft inbound to the Savannah-Hilton Head International Airport. A victim pilot, who is a retired Marine Corps officer, helped pinpoint the origin of the strikes, and after Hendricks was identified and questioned by FBI agents, he later admitted responsibility and pled guilty May 3 in U.S. District Court.
“Hendricks needlessly threatened the safety of the passengers and crew of a commercial aircraft. It is important for the public to understand that pointing any laser, even a small one, at an aircraft can obscure the pilot’s view and jeopardize the safe operations of the aircraft,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “Hopefully this sentencing will send a message that the FBI will not tolerate those engaging in this dangerous behavior and that they will be aggressively investigated and prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”
The case was investigated by the FBI, and is being prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer G. Solari and Joshua S. Bearden.
An Effingham County resident has been indicted on federal charges for aiming a powerful laser at commercial aircraft.
Roger Floyd Hendricks, 48, of Rincon, was indicted by a U.S. District Court grand jury on three counts of Aiming a Laser Pointer at an Aircraft, said Bobby L. Christine, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. Each count carries a possible penalty of up to five years in prison and substantial fines, followed by a period of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
“Pointing a laser at an aircraft is not a prank; it’s incredibly dangerous and stupid,” said U.S. Attorney Christine. “The FBI did an outstanding job of locating and stopping this threat to hundreds of Savannah air travelers.”
The Federal Aviation Administration contacted the FBI in February for assistance in locating the source of three separate green laser strikes on aircraft inbound to the Savannah-Hilton Head International Airport. According to the indictment, those strikes included:
- A Nov. 27, 2019 strike on Commutair flight 4935 from Chicago O’Hare International Airport. The aircraft, an Embraer ERJ-145, has a capacity of more than 50 passengers and crew and landed safely.
- A Dec. 8, 2019 strike on Delta flight 697 from Hartsfield International Airport in Atlanta. The aircraft, an Airbus A321, has a capacity of up to nearly 200 passengers and crew and landed safely. And,
- A Jan. 14, 2020 strike on NetJets flight 385 from Chicago Midway International Airport. The aircraft, a Cessna Citation Sovereign, has a capacity of eight passengers plus crew and landed safely.
Hendricks was charged after he was identified in the FBI investigation.
In the past year, the FAA reports that nationwide there were more than 6,000 laser strikes on aircraft in United States airspace.
“Aiming a laser at an airplane is not a game, it’s a federal felony and something the FBI takes very seriously,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “These alleged actions placed the lives of innocent air travelers and commercial airline crews in danger and must be prosecuted.”
Criminal indictments contain only charges; defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The case was investigated by the FBI, and is being prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer G. Solari and Joshua S. Bearden.
PRESS RELEASE AFTER SENTENCING
An Effingham County resident has been sentenced to federal prison after admitting he aimed a powerful laser at commercial aircraft.
Roger Floyd Hendricks, 48, of Rincon, was sentenced to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty to Aiming a Laser Pointer at an Aircraft, said David H. Estes, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. U.S. District Court Judge William T. Moore Jr. also ordered Hendricks to serve three years of supervised release after completion of his prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
“With the public’s assistance, the FBI did an outstanding job of identifying Roger Hendricks as the man responsible for aiming a powerful laser at inbound Savannah aircraft,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Estes. “Laser strikes are potentially deadly not only for pilots blinded by the lasers, but also for air travelers and residents in the path of aircraft. Hendricks is being held accountable for his criminal actions.”
The investigation began in February 2020 when the Federal Aviation Administration asked the FBI in February for assistance in locating the source of three separate green laser strikes on aircraft inbound to the Savannah-Hilton Head International Airport. A victim pilot, who is a retired Marine Corps officer, helped pinpoint the origin of the strikes, and after Hendricks was identified and questioned by FBI agents, he later admitted responsibility and pled guilty May 3 in U.S. District Court.
“Hendricks needlessly threatened the safety of the passengers and crew of a commercial aircraft. It is important for the public to understand that pointing any laser, even a small one, at an aircraft can obscure the pilot’s view and jeopardize the safe operations of the aircraft,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “Hopefully this sentencing will send a message that the FBI will not tolerate those engaging in this dangerous behavior and that they will be aggressively investigated and prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”
The case was investigated by the FBI, and is being prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer G. Solari and Joshua S. Bearden.