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Man arrested after pointing laser at Orange County Sheriff's Office helicopter, deputies say

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — A man is facing charges after he was caught pointing a laser at a sheriff's officer helicopter multiple times in Orange County.

Deputies with the Orange County Sheriff's Office sent units to the area of Colonial and State Road 417 early Wednesday after someone shined a laser into their helicopter three times.

After arriving to the location, officials arrested 47-year-old Rodger Smith, who denied pointing the laser, according to deputies.

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A helicopter captured Smith's arrest on video.

Officials searched his home and found 12 firearms and a laser. It was illegal for Smith to be in possession of the firearms since he's a convicted felon.

Orange County Sheriff John Mina said it was necessary to pull out all the stops to stop similar incidents in the future.

"We're extremely concrned about that and when people do that, we're gonna put all our resources to bear and try to arrest that person so the activity stops," said Mina.

Smith bonded out of  the Orange County Jail on Wednesday.

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