D.C. Man Charged With Aiming Laser at Marine One

Jacob Samuel Winkler, 33, of Washington, D.C., was arrested and federally charged after allegedly aiming a red laser pointer at Marine One as President Donald Trump departed the White House on Sept. 20. A Secret Service officer encountered Winkler shirtless and speaking loudly on Constitution Avenue, shone a flashlight at him, and said he was briefly struck in the face by the laser before seeing Winkler train the beam at the low-flying presidential helicopter, conduct the officer said could cause flash blindness and pilot disorientation. Agents recovered the laser pointer and a three‑inch fixed‑blade knife; court filings say Winkler repeatedly apologized, told investigators he often points the device at objects and didn’t know aiming at an aircraft was illegal, and refused his right to an attorney. He is charged under federal law with aiming a laser at an aircraft, a felony punishable by up to five years in prison and fines, and there is no public indication anyone aboard Marine One reported being affected. U.S. prosecutors and the Secret Service said they will seek prosecution to the fullest extent of the law.