The helicopter crew tracked the source of the light to a vehicle, which they followed. Ground patrol stopped the car and found 19-year-old Nathan Wells in possession of a laser device.
Wells was sentenced on Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Virginia Phillips. The judge also ordered Wells to be on supervised release for three years in addition to the prison sentence. During his term of supervised release, Wells must spend three months at a community corrections center.
Wells pleaded guilty to a felony count of interference with an operator of an aircraft, admitting that he knowingly fired a laser at a police helicopter.