Helicopter Shined Lights On Washington County Homes: Police Report

WASHINGTON COUNTY, MN – A police officer learned recently that it’s a lot harder to pull over a helicopter than it is an automobile.

On Wednesday Sgt. Kurt Kowarsch of the Forest Lake Police Department responded to reports of residents in the area of a low-flying helicopter shining a spotlight on their homes.

According to the Pioneer Press, Kowarsch had the following conversation with the police dispatcher:

Officer: “I’m trying to pull over a helicopter right now that’s trying to take off at the airport.”

Officer: “I got the helicopter stopped, well now it’s taking off again. I’m going to try and get him stopped. I had a few complaints of him flying around.”

Dispatcher: “Where are you exactly?”

Officer: “I’m at the airport. He sees me. He’s taking off. Not much I can do obviously.”

A spokeswoman for Life Link III, an air-medical transport company, told the newspaper that a helicopter pilot was doing routine pilot training Wednesday.

Read much more at the Pioneer Press.

Image via Kalliop3, Flickr, used under Creative Commons