RICHMOND COUNTY, Ga. — A Richmond County man could spend the rest of his life in prison after pleading guilty to shooting a Georgia State Patrol helicopter during an ATF raid.
According to a news release from the Department of Justice, 56-year-old Terry Kielisch pleaded guilty this week to two counts of assaulting a person assisting an officer, and one count of use of a firearm during commission of a crime.
The charges carry a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole, however, he has not been sentenced yet.
According to court documents, Kielisch used a .308 caliber rifle when he fired at least twice at a Georgia State Patrol helicopter last March.
The helicopter was assisting in Operation Gunsmoke – an ATF sweep targeting people accused of drug trafficking and illegal firearms in Georgia and South Carolina.
Though Kielisch was not a target of the operation, he told investigators he shot at it because he didn’t like it flying near him.
The helicopter was hit near its fuel lines and took about $60,000 in damage, but neither the pilot nor passenger was injured.
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