RIVERVIEW, Fla. — The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) said their helicopter was surveilling over Riverview when it was hit by a laser beam several times on Saturday, June 14.
WATCH: Laser strike on HCSO helicopter results in arrest after endangering flight crew
Deputies said the “powerful green laser beam” temporarily impaired the flight crew’s visibility, endangering them and could have led to deadly consequences.
HCSO said they tracked the laser to the 10000 block of Johanna Avenue, a mobile home, where they arrested 58-year-old James Cardamone for Misuse of a Laser Lighting Device.
Pasco County woman trying to rebuild mobile home after hurricanes
"I cried, of course, because I've worked very hard getting it nice, which has been difficult for me since I lost my husband and being alone,” Kelly Welty said.
Welty's mobile home lost its roof during Hurricane Milton. She said it was the only one in the Buena Vista community to get totaled by a tornado.
