Spring Hill man accused of shining light at sheriff's helicopter

Deputy Scott Schultz noticed a flashing green light fill the cockpit of his helicopter.

The veteran pilot and his observer, Hernando County Sheriff's Deputy Billy Joe Hart, were traveling to a call shortly after 8:30 p.m. the night of Sept. 17 from the Airport Industrial Park south of Brooksville to Weeki Wachee.

Schultz, who was flying 800 feet above ground, initially thought it was a lightning flash. But when he looked to his left, he saw a bright green laser beam shining from below, according to an arrest report.

The laser flashed directly into Schultz's eyes, causing him to turn his head. It also momentarily affected his field of vision, deputies said.

While the helicopter hovered overhead, backup units on the ground arrived in the area near Landover Boulevard and converged on the source of the laser beam.

The sheriff's office consulted with the FBI about the case, said Sgt. Donna Black, a sheriff's spokeswoman. Ten days later, an arrest warrant was served on the man accused of shining the light at Schultz.

Louis Carmine Amalfitano, 23, of 13321 Jay Court in Spring Hill, was charged with illegal use of a laser light.

The charge is a third-degree felony, which carries up to a five-year prison sentence if there is a conviction.

"That could've been terribly disastrous," said Black. "Our pilots have to navigate everything, from trees to overhead power wires ... Something like that puts them in peril as well as the people on the ground."

Schultz described the color of the beam to be "consistent with the green neon lighting that is installed on custom vehicles," according to the report.

Black said Amalfitano was outside his vehicle when he aimed his hand-held laser device at the helicopter.

The FBI was consulted because there are federal laws related to illegal laser beams being aimed at planes and other aircraft. It's a serious problem in California, she said.

Authorities ultimately decided to charge Amalfitano with a state charge, which also pertains to motor vehicles and water vessels.

"This is not a prank," said Black. "This is very serious and there could have been lives lost in this."

The arrest report did not reveal why the helicopter was dispatched to Weeki Wachee.