A jury in Washington D.C. recently acquitted Jacob Winkler, 33, of a felony charge of aiming a laser at Marine One while it was transporting Donald Trump. The verdict of not guilty was reached in approximately 35 minutes on Tuesday.
Winkler was arrested in September after a U.S. Secret Service agent reported observing him point a red laser beam toward Marine One as it flew low shortly after leaving the White House. He faced a felony count of aiming a laser at an aircraft, an offense punishable by up to five years in prison. U.S. Attorney for Washington D.C., Jeanine Pirro, had stated her office would prosecute Winkler "to the fullest extent of the law."
Following the acquittal, Winkler's public defenders, Alexis Gardner and Ubong Akpan, issued a statement. They stated that the federal government "spent scarce resources to make a felon out of a homeless man with nothing but a cat toy keychain." They also commented on the need to address community threats and invest in dignity.
The verdict follows other cases pursued by Pirro's office, which filed numerous federal cases accusing local residents of assaulting federal officers or making threats against Trump during the summer, following Trump's declaration of a crime emergency and deployment of troops to Washington D.C.
For example, her office did not secure a conviction against Sean Charles Dunn, who was charged with assault in November for throwing a Subway-style sandwich at a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agent. Dunn had reportedly yelled, "Why are you here? I don’t want you in my city!" at officers on August 10.
Pirro's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding Winkler's trial.