Post Falls man gets federal prison for aiming laser at helicopter

COEUR d’ALENE — A Post Falls man who aimed a laser pointer at the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office helicopter last summer will spend almost three years in federal prison. 

Aspen A. Schaffer, 31, pleaded guilty in December to aiming a laser pointer at an aircraft. He received a sentence of 35 months in federal prison and will spend an additional three years on supervised release after completing his prison sentence, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

The charges stem from Aug. 16 when prosecutors said Schaffer was out with friends and pointed a bright green laser at the helicopter as it flew overhead. 

“The laser struck the helicopter multiple times and impaired the vision of the pilot, the sergeant and the deputy who were on board,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a news release. “The helicopter lost altitude, but the pilot regained control and brought the helicopter back up to altitude.” 

Police tracked the car Schaffer was in an arrested him, according to the release.

Schaffer had a blood alcohol level of .11 when he was booked into jail, the news release said. 

A grand jury indicted Schaffer for the federal offense in September. 

Prosecutors said Schaffer was “known to law enforcement” prior to the incident. Between 2014 and 2024, he had multiple past convictions for felony and misdemeanor offenses in Kootenai and Boundary counties, according to court records.