Amanda Robinson, Laser Pointer Assault, Virginia 2021

A 33-year-old Henrico woman has pleaded guilty to aiming a laser pointer at a police aircraft while at the Robert E. Lee Monument during a period of civil unrest in Richmond, Virginia.

According to court documents, Amanda Robinson pointed her laser pointer at a 2006 Cessna aircraft flying above her location on June 4. The aircraft was operated by police officers of the Metropolitan Aviation Unit, who were conducting aerial surveillance patrols during the civil unrest.

Robinson struck the aircraft on at least two separate occasions, disrupting the pilot’s vision. Using an onboard camera, the police officers identified Robinson as the individual aiming the laser pointer and directed police units to her location.

Upon arriving at the Robert E. Lee Monument traffic circle, police patrol units detained Robinson and recovered a green laser pointer from her possession.

The Metropolitan Aviation Unit is a multi-jurisdictional law enforcement aviation unit made up of the Henrico County Police Department, the Richmond Police Department, and the Chesterfield County Police Department that conducts aerial operations in the Central Virginia area.

Robinson is scheduled to be sentenced on March 23, 2021, and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties.

A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

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