A 41-year-old Laguna Niguel man was sentenced to nine years in federal prison for firing at a sheriff's helicopter while intoxicated during his birthday party. - Justin Derek Jennings fired a semi-automatic rifle at an Orange County Sheriff's Department helicopter on March 9, 2024.
- He consumed 1.75 liters of Jack Daniels before the incident, which lasted at least 20 minutes. - Jennings accepted a plea deal and admitted to attempting to damage an aircraft.
- The judge called the crime 'extraordinarily serious' despite Jennings' intoxication. The sentence split the difference between prosecution and defense requests, and Jennings will serve three years of probation after release.