A 33-year-old Washington, D.C., resident was found not guilty last week of aiming a laser pointer at Marine One last September, according to court documents.

Jacob Samuel Winkler was found not guilty of "aiming a laser pointer at an aircraft" in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on Jan. 13.

The felony charge carried a potential sentence of up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine under federal law.

The jury deliberated for just 35 minutes, according to his public defender, Alexis Gardner.

She called the case "a clear example of misuse of prosecutorial discretion."

Prosecutors charged a man "whose alleged weapon was a cat toy key chain," Gardner said, and "time and money [were] diverted from real public safety threats."

"Their verdict confirmed what should have been obvious from the start: Mr. Winkler committed no crime, and this prosecution was an unjust exercise of power," she said.

A Secret Service officer arrested Winkler after a red laser was aimed at Marine One as President Donald Trump departed the White House, according to a complaint filed on Sept. 22, 2025.

According to an affidavit, officer Diego Santiago was patrolling the White House perimeter to secure the helicopter's flight path.

Santiago reported spotting a shirtless man, later identified as Winkler, walking along Constitution Avenue and talking loudly.

When Santiago illuminated him with a flashlight, Winkler responded by shining a red laser directly into the officer's eyes, leaving him briefly disoriented.

Marine One passed low overhead and Santiago said Winkler then turned the same laser skyward and trained it on the presidential helicopter. 

According to investigators, Winkler said during a postarrest interview that he pointed the laser at Marine One but did not realize it was prohibited.

Trump was en route to Virginia to give a speech that evening.