Man accused of aiming laser at Trump helicopter acquitted in 35 minutes

A man tried on a felony charge of aiming a laser at presidential helicopter Marine One while it was transporting Donald Trump was acquitted recently by a jury in Washington DC – which reached its decision in about 35 minutes Tuesday.

The swift verdict of not guilty in the case of Jacob Winkler represented another high-profile defeat for Jeanine Pirro, the former Fox News host whom Trump appointed to be the US attorney for the nation’s capital. Pirro’s office has pursued harsh penalties against individuals accused of attacking federal officers or threatening the president but has failed multiple times.

Winkler, 33, was arrested in September after a US Secret Service agent claimed to have seen him point a red laser beam toward Marine One as it flew low shortly after leaving the White House. He faced a felony count of aiming a laser at an aircraft, an offense punishable by up to five years in prison.

Pirro subsequently promised her office would prosecute Winkler “to the fullest extent of the law”.

At the conclusion of his trial Tuesday, jurors deliberated for a little more than half an hour before acquitting Winkler, according to his public defenders, Alexis Gardner and Ubong Akpan.

In a statement to HuffPost, Gardner and Akpan said the outcome highlighted “a disturbing reality”.

“In the most powerful city in the world,” the statement said, “the federal government spent scarce resources to make a felon out of a homeless man with nothing but a cat toy keychain.

“Every hour spent on this case was an hour not spent addressing real threats to our community. We need to stop policing poverty and start investing in dignity.”

After Trump declared a crime emergency and sent troops into Washington DC last summer, Pirro’s office filed numerous federal cases accusing local residents of assaulting federal officers or making threats against Trump. Under direction from the administration, agents from agencies including the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) conducted neighborhood patrols throughout the city.

The verdict in Winkler’s case called to mind another recent loss for the Pirro-led US attorney’s office in DC. In that case, her prosecutors failed to secure a conviction against a man who was charged with assault for tossing a Subway-style sandwich at a federal agent in November.

Sean Charles Dunn, who previously worked as a paralegal at the US justice department, became a visible symbol of opposition to Trump’s presence in the capital after footage circulated showing him – wearing a pink polo shirt and shorts – hurling a sandwich at a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agent outfitted in a bulletproof vest.

“Why are you here? I don’t want you in my city!” Dunn yelled at officers on 10 August, referring to them as “fascists”. He ran off immediately after throwing the sandwich.

Pirro’s office didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Saturday. The office issued at least 16 news releases for the business week beginning Monday. None focused on Winkler’s trial.