BORDERLAND

Feds charge man over laser-pointing at plane

3/15/2014

A Hancock County man has been charged in federal court with allegedly lying about an incident in which a laser pointer was aimed at an aircraft in Hancock County in 2012.

Ronald E. Deal, Sr., 57, of McComb, Ohio, was charged in a bill of information with making a false statement or representation to a department or agency of the United States. The charge alleges that between Aug. 5, 2012, and Aug. 9, 2012, Mr. Deal told federal investigators he did not know anything about the laser pointer incident that occurred June 17, 2012. He later said falsely he was the individual who pointed the laser at the aircraft even though he knew who actually pointed it.

Mr. Deal is to be arraigned April 2 before Magistrate Judge Vernelis Armstrong.

Mike Tobin, spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, said he could not provide any other information about the incident.