The Associated Press
SEATTLE — Trial is beginning in federal court in Seattle today for a Lynden man who put a spotlight on a low-flying Customs and Border Patrol helicopter.
The Bellingham Herald reported that Wayne P. Groen admits shining the light the night of Sept. 22 to see what the copter was doing and to alert the pilot that it was close to his home.
Federal prosecutors say the two Blackhawk pilots were wearing night-vision goggles to help track illegal border-crossers and the spotlight temporarily blinded them, putting them at risk of crashing.
Groen is charged with interfering with the operation of an aircraft. His lawyer says the pilots exaggerated the danger.
