Man Convicted of Shining Laser at Helicoper Gets New Trial
Gerard Sasso was ordered released from federal prison Monday.
A Medford man convicted of shining a powerful green laser in the cockpit of a state police helicopter from his apartment window was given a new trial. Prosecutors against Gerard Sasso proved he shined laser from the triple-decker at 590 Main St. inside a police helicopter's cockpit in 2007 as it escorted a tanker up the Mystic River, according to an appeals court judge, but the jury wasn't properly instructed on how to consider one of the charges against him. Sasso was awarded a new trial in a written ruling entered in federal Appeals Court by its circuit judges earlier this month. In 2010, he was convicted of interfering with the operation of an aircraft with reckless disregard for human life and making false statements; in 2011, he was …
Jarret Bencks
10:44 am on Thursday, September 27, 2012
Upon reviewing a few documents related to this case, it appears milliwatts is correct. The laser's power was referred to as 240 megawatts in one court document, but others -- including the police affidavit -- refute that. The article has been updated. Thanks Owen. more ›