A man in Clarington, Ont., faces several charges after someone pointed a laser beam at an on-duty police helicopter on three occasions.

Police believe the man first shone a "directed light beam" at a Durham police helicopter that was flying above Clarington, east of Toronto and just northwest of Oshawa, on Nov. 10.

The man allegedly repeated his actions on Nov. 25 and once again Wednesday, Durham police said Thursday. Police weren't able to finger the offender in either of the November incidents.

But on Wednesday, officers on the ground and the Durham police helicopter traced the source of the laser to a house in Clarington.

Gerald Cote, 25, was arrested Wednesday night and faces multiple charges, including three counts of mischief and three counts of projection of a directed bright light at an aircraft.

None of the police personnel aboard the helicopter was injured.

'Unusual' arrest

The arrest wasn't the first of its kind in the Durham region, said police spokesman Dave Selby.

But it is "unusual and a lot of these arrests aren't made because it is difficult to pinpoint exactly where [the laser beam] came from," said Selby, adding that lasers can be very dangerous to pilots.

If pointed directly into a person's eyes, some lasers can cause permanent damage to the retina, which could jeopardize a pilot's career.

So far in 2009, Transport Canada has received 105 reports of laser beams being pointed into aircraft cockpits while in flight.

Under the federal Aeronautics Act, people found guilty of shining lights at aircraft can be fined a maximum of $100,000 or face five years in prison.