SAN DIEGO — A judge in El Cajon Superior Court has issued a no bail warrant for the arrest of Eric Earl Patton, 24, who failed to show up for sentencing after he pleaded guilty to discharging a green laser beam at a sheriff’s department helicopter cockpit.
Patton, of El Cajon, had been expected to get probation and he was screened to see if he qualified for some type of home or work detention, according to court records.
El Cajon Police said the green laser was shined into the cockpit of the ASTREA helicopter for seven minutes on May 31 at 9:20 p.m. The two pilots reported visual impairment. They were assisting El Cajon Police at the timed on a burglary in progress call.
Laser light in pilots’ eyes causes glare in which they cannot see past the light. At high power levels, it can cause temporary flash blindness and after images. The offense is a felony.
“I willfully and maliciously discharged a laser at an occupied aircraft while in flight,” Patton wrote on a court document.
The warrant describes Patton as African American, 185 pounds, 6’ tall, with black hair and brown eyes.
Patton had been free on $10,000 bond. He faces a maximum sentence of four years in prison. He has a prior auto theft conviction.
