Idaho Man Gets Three Years In Prison For…A Laser?

It's all fun and games, right?

You're a law-abiding citizen, minding your own business, playing with your laser pointer. When, next thing you know, you're locked behind bars in a federal prison.

Whoa! How did we get here? Let's go back.

So, a guy's in prison for using a laser pointer?

Precisely. Perhaps you know where this story is going. Perhaps not. Read on.

The headline does what it says. A North Idaho man was just sentenced to almost three years in federal prison for misuse of a laser pointer. What did he do, exactly? You guessed it: Pointed said laser pointer directly at a law enforcement helicopter.

Can you do that? No, you absolutely cannot. Does it matter if you were "drunk and hanging out with your friends" while you do it, like the perp in question here? No, it absolutely does not.

Whilst pointing his laser pointer at said helicopter, the pilot's vision was impaired, causing the craft to lose altitude suddenly, which is clearly extremely dangerous. So, that's why dude got three years in the clink. Can't do that.

Seriously. Don't point laser pointers at vehicles, especially ones that fly. You'll get locked up. Probably forever.

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Laser Guy isn't the only person doing hard time for the foreseeable future. As a matter of fact, it's possible some of your favorite music artists are currently locked up at the time of this writing.

Here's a list of some popular music artists who, at the moment, find themselves incarcerated.