MADISON, WIS. - A Rochester, Minnesota man is charged with 2 counts of aiming the beam of a laser pointer at aircraft, announced Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin.
The indictment, which was returned on Jan. 26, 2022 by a grand jury sitting in Madison, Wisconsin, charges Nicholas James Link, 42. The indictment alleges that on Oct. 29, 2021, Link aimed the beam of a laser pointer at a Delta Airlines commercial aircraft and at a Minnesota State Patrol aircraft. The indictment alleges that he did so while in Wisconsin.
The indictment was unsealed yesterday. Link’s initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Madison has not been scheduled.
If convicted, Link faces a maximum penalty of 5 years in federal prison on each count. The charges against him are the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Minnesota State Patrol, and River Falls (Wisconsin) Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Corey Stephan is handling the prosecution.
You are advised that a charge is merely an accusation and that a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
