A 26-year-old Bakersfield man has admitted to shining a laser at a Kern County Sheriff’s Office helicopter.

Prosecutors say Alejandro Silvestre aimed the beam at Air One on September 5, 2021, while he was drinking with family outside his home.

The helicopter was on a routine patrol when the laser hit.

Silvestre pleaded guilty Monday and faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine at his sentencing November 17.

There were more than 9,000 reported incidents involving laser strikes of aircraft across the country the year Silvestre pointed his laser at the chopper.