Flashing laser pointer in deputy's eyes earns Tigard man 3 years in prison

Oregonian:

When Antom Strom cast a laser pointer toward Washington County sheriff's Deputy Glenn Howard, he chalked up a three-year prison sentence.

Strom pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree assault for shining a green laser pointer across a Tigard apartment parking lot in July, striking the deputy's line of sight from 423 feet away.

Deputy District Attorney Bracken McKey described the green laser pointer as a "powerful, industrial grade laser."

Howard's left eye sustained retinal scarring that doctors say is permanent, McKey said.

In the short term, the incident resulted in a stronger corrective lens prescription for Howard's left eye, but his doctor said his vision may deteriorate further.

Strom's attorney, public defender Jesse Merrithew, said his client purchased the inexpensive green laser pointer online, and didn't know the potential harm the laser could cause.

"I don't see how anybody could be aware of it," Merrithew said.

Strom was charged with two Measure 11 counts of second-degree assault and one count of unlawful use of a weapon against another...

The 24-year-old has no criminal record, graduated from the Oregon Coast Culinary Institute in Coos Bay, and at the time of the incident, he worked at a Beaverton restaurant and shared an apartment with his girlfriend and 4-month-old son.

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