Halloween night 2025 got a little too bright for a Minnesota State Patrol helicopter crew, after investigators say a green laser hit the aircraft as it came in for a landing and led them straight to a St. Paul suspect.
According to a criminal complaint, 34-year-old Dashawn Lamar Jones is accused of aiming and discharging a laser or other light at an aircraft while it was landing or taking off. Troopers say they first stopped Jones while he was riding a bicycle, then encountered him again a short time later. After that second stop, investigators say they found a laser pointer stashed under a parked vehicle.
The complaint states that Jones told officers he had shined the laser and tossed it away between the two stops. Investigators also reviewed video that they say shows him pointing the beam at the helicopter. Those details are laid out in the criminal filing, as reported by Limitless Media News.
Under Minnesota law a gross misdemeanor can bring a maximum sentence of 364 days in jail and a $3,000 fine, according to the Revisor of Statutes. Prosecutors will decide whether to pursue that maximum penalty or seek another outcome as the case moves through Ramsey County court.
Why laser strikes are taken seriously
Lasers aimed at aircraft cockpits are not just annoying for pilots; they can cause glare, flash blindness and other visual interference that can put both crews and people on the ground at risk.
The Federal Aviation Administration logged 12,840 laser strikes in 2024 and warns that offenders can face civil penalties as well as federal criminal prosecution, including prison time and substantial fines. The agency urges anyone who witnesses a laser incident to report it to both the FAA and local law enforcement, and The FAA has repeatedly stressed how dangerous these incidents can be. The FBI has likewise urged communities and local partners to treat laser strikes toward aircraft as serious crimes, not pranks.
Local precedent
Minnesota authorities have seen this play out before. In December 2025, a Chatfield man was convicted of a gross misdemeanor after a Mayo One medical helicopter crew followed a green laser back to a trailer, leading investigators straight to him. That case ended with a stayed one-year sentence and probation, according to KROC, underscoring how quickly air crews can help pinpoint a suspect on the ground.
The criminal complaint against Jones lays out the current allegations, and he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court. The arrest and complaint were first reported on April 17, 2026, by Limitless Media News.
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