COLUMBUS — The Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department reported deputies had been called out to the Columbus Municipal Airport several times in the past week to investigate reports of a green laser being pointed at aircraft.

It is a federal crime to point a laser at an aircraft.

Initial searches for the perpetrator revealed nothing until a deputy noticed a green laser being pointed at his patrol car on US 31, about 20 minutes away from the airport.

According to the sheriff’s department, the source of the laser was a black car. The driver was identified as Christopher Clem, 49, of Columbus. The department’s investigation found two green laser devices in Clem’s car.

Allegedly, Clem confessed to deputies that he had been shining the lasers at aircraft, the sheriff’s department stated. He was arrested on preliminary charges of pointing a laser at a public safety official.

The sheriff’s department also reported Clem to the U.S. Air Marshals and the Federal Aviation Administration, who will investigate him at the federal level.

The FAA states that pointing a laser at aircraft can lead to a fine of up to $11,000 per violation and up to $38,000 for multiple violations. Perpetrators may also come up against civil and criminal prosecution.