July 15--A Northeast Portland man charged with aiming a laser beam at two airplanes flying toward Portland International Airport in October pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court to both counts.
U.S. District Judge Michael Mosman accepted the guilty pleas from Stephen Francis Bukucs, 40, and set an Oct. 24 sentencing date for the former security guard.
Bukucs was identified as a suspect after law enforcement agencies began investigating a spike in the number of laser-pointing incidents targeting aircraft, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Peifer. The laser beams appeared to be coming from the Gateway transit area, he said.
The task force, involving the FBI, Portland police, Port of Portland police and other agencies, flew two airplanes as decoys in August 2013, Peifer said.
One of the planes, a Portland police aircraft, was targeted by a laser beam and relayed the location of the light's origination to officers on the ground, Peifer said. Police saw a laser light that appeared to be coming from an apartment complex at Northeast 99th Avenue and Northeast Irving Street.
Investigators then installed surveillance cameras that eventually recorded Bukucs targeting a laser at two flights -- a United Airlines flight and a JetBlue flight -- on Oct. 13, Peifer said.
When the laser struck the United flight that night, the pilot reported that it "lit up the entire cockpit," Peifer said, temporarily blinding and disorienting the pilot. The laser beam Bukucs had was a high-powered version, Peifer said, not the type of pointer used in an office presentation.
Read Bryan Denson's article on the investigation and how it led officers to Bukucs.
After his arrest, Bukucs admitted to the two laser strikes, Peifer said, in addition to about 25 previous incidents.
Peifer said he plans to seek a two-year prison term for Bukucs. Bukucs' attorney declined to comment after the hearing.
-- Helen Jung
Copyright 2014 - The Oregonian, Portland, Ore.
