INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — A 40-year-old man who deputies said intentionally pointed a high-powered laser at a sheriff’s helicopter cockpit three times, was detained Thursday.
Robert Chester Frankum
PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY INDIAN RIVER COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE
The man – identified as Robert Chester Frankum – told deputies he was playing with the laser in the street, reports show. The helicopter pilot, however, informed patrol deputies Frankum shined the laser beam directly into the cockpit.
Deputies arrested Frankum, of Fort Pierce, on a charge of misuse of laser lighting. Frankum was held Saturday at the Indian River County Jail on $3,500 bond.
Friday, deputies released surveillance footage of the incident.
Laser strike on HAWK 3 during missing person search
On 1-30-2020 at 2255 hours our aviation unit was assisting road patrol deputies in searching for a missing person. As the helicopter was in an orbit scanning the area for the missing person a subject on the ground began to point a green laser at it. The subject struck the helicopter 3 times with the laser.Aviation deputies were able to direct responding patrol deputies to the location of the subject who was using the laser. Patrol deputies located Robert Chester Frankum on the front porch of the residence with the laser still in his hand.Robert was arrested for Misuse of a Laser Lighting Device and transported to the IRC jail without incident. The incident was captured on the aviation units video system.
Posted by Indian River County Sheriff's Office on Friday, January 31, 2020
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An Indian River County sheriff’s helicopter was searching for a missing person about 11 p.m. Thursday in the 1200 block of 15th Avenue Southwest. As the ‘eye-in-the-sky’ combed the area, a person standing in the driveway of a home began shining a green laser into the cockpit, the video shows.
The pilot guided patrol deputies to the home, where they saw a man identified as Frankum. Frankum was standing next to a table that had the silver cylindrical laser pointer, reports show.
Frankum told deputies he was initially using the laser in the residence. Frankum went outside after the people inside told him the beam was too bright, reports show.
Frankum admitted to pointing the laser in the sky, authorities said.
Deputies arrested Frankum and took him to the county jail. Frankum has an arraignment at 8:45 a.m. March 6, court records show.
