A San Jacinto woman was arrested Friday night, Nov. 2, on suspicion of shining a laser at a San Jacinto police cruiser and a Riverside County sheriff's helicopter.
It was the third time Irene Marie Levy, 31, has been arrested on similar circumstances, police said.
San Jacinto police said Levy was shining a laser at a San Jacinto police cruiser driving near Villines Street in San Jacinto about 11 p.m.
Police requested a sheriff's helicopter to search for the person shining the laser in the neighborhood, Sgt. Gene McKinney said in a written statement. As a helicopter hovered, police said Levy pointed the laser at the pilot several times. The helicopter crew directed officers to Levy's home on Villines Street where the laser was coming from, McKinney said.
Police arrested Levy on suspicion of seven counts of pointing a laser at an aircraft and police. She was booked at the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility, where bail was set at $25,000.
Levy first gained attention of police in May 2010, when she broadcast over a 30-hour period on a ham radio and interrupted police radios and emergency dispatch calls. The messages overrode Hemet police and Cal Fire dispatcher transmissions and included threats to police and a false report of a bomb.
For that case, she pleaded guilty to seven counts and was sentenced to three years probation. She was ordered to undergo psychiatric evaluations and complete a court mandated mental health program.
In July, Levy was arrested on suspicion of shining a laser at a Cal Fire crew in San Jacinto, police reported. She was arrested and cited with two counts of using a laser with intent to harass or annoy.
She was held in jail until Oct. 9, when she pleaded guilty to those charges and was referred again to mental health court. She was released on two years probation.
Her arrest Friday will be referred to the Riverside County district attorney's office for possible charges.
Copyright 2012 The Press Enterprise, Inc.All Rights Reserved
