SANDY — A Sandy man was charged Friday with pointing a laser light at a helicopter, claiming it had entered into his airspace.
Joseph Talbot, 46, is charged in 3rd District Court with two counts of making a terroristic threat, a third-degree felony and a class B misdemeanor.
On June 28, in the area of 950 East and 10700 South, police received information "that someone pointed a laser light at a helicopter pilot from this location," according to charging documents.
Officers found Talbot in the area, who "admitted that he 'absolutely' shined the laser at the aircraft," the charges state. "Talbot went on to say that if an aircraft entered 'his airspace' at or below 1,200 feet, he would defend his airspace by crashing his drone into it."
He further stated that he may "invent" something that "was not regulated in order to take down the aircraft, because if it hasn't been regulated yet, it can't be illegal," according to the charges.
When officers explained that his actions could hurt people, Talbot allegedly responded that he "didn't care" and "the situation would not affect him in any way."
