A civilian holding a lit flare tried to board a Marine Corps helicopter final week whereas the plane was sitting on a Camp Pendleton touchdown pad with a crew inside and its rotors operating, in keeping with federal prosecutors in San Diego.
The incident final Thursday night time marked the fourth time since 2022 that the 58-year-old man has allegedly trespassed on Camp Pendleton, in keeping with courtroom paperwork within the case. Although the person was by no means charged with against the law for the primary three intrusions, he’s now going through a misdemeanor cost of trespassing on a navy set up.
After his arrest, the person allegedly informed authorities that “the State Division despatched ‘radio waves’ to his head, telling him to gentle a flare and board the plane,” in keeping with a possible trigger assertion written by an agent with the Marine Corps Prison Investigation Division.
An legal professional assigned to symbolize the person didn’t reply to a request for remark Tuesday.
The incident occurred round 10 p.m. as two helicopter crews have been coaching close to an remoted touchdown pad that sits simply west of Interstate 5 on bluffs that overlook the ocean, in keeping with courtroom paperwork and navy information.
One of many helicopters was on the touchdown pad with its rotors operating when a crew member on a second helicopter that was hovering close by at a low altitude observed the person approaching the plane that was on the bottom, in keeping with courtroom paperwork. A crew member on the primary helicopter then observed the person approaching, getting “inside toes” of the plane and trying to board it.
“Crew members directed (the person) to go away and (the helicopter) took off at a second that (he) was at a secure distance for takeoff,” the agent wrote within the possible trigger assertion.
Marine Corps regulation enforcement officers responded to the helipad, situated the person and two used flares close by and arrested him, in keeping with the courtroom doc.
Marine Corps information confirmed the identical man beforehand trespassed on Camp Pendleton in September 2022, September 2023 and Might 27 of this 12 months, in keeping with the agent. On the time of his arrest final week, brokers allegedly discovered a “ U.S. District Court docket summons” within the man’s possession that correlated to a trespassing quotation issued for the Might 27 incident.
Federal jail information confirmed the person remained in custody as of Tuesday. A detention listening to is about for later this week. He faces as much as six months in custody if convicted.
Final week, a San Diego man pleaded responsible to 2 federal felony counts associated to twice touchdown his small airplane on San Clemente Island with out approval from the U.S. Navy, which controls the island. Federal prosecutors in Los Angeles are anticipated to hunt a six-month jail sentence in that case.
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