Pot charges for pilot who breached Obama air space

LONG BEACH – A man who flew into restricted air space during President Barack Obama’s visit to Orange and Los Angeles counties last month has been charged with possession of marijuana and transporting it for sale.

Brian Choppin, 43, was forced to land his Cessna after his plane was intercepted by Air Force F-16 fighter jets on Feb. 16 because it entered the same Los Angeles airspace as Obama’s helicopter.

People holding signs line Pacific Coast Highway in the Corona del Mar section of Newport Beach last month as they wait for President Obama to arrive for a fundraiser at a private residence.

Pilots were told that during Obama’s visit they were not to come within eight miles of Los Angeles International Airport.

Obama was on his way back to L.A. following a breakfast fund-raiser at a private home in Corona del Mar when Choppin’s plane was intercepted. When Long Beach police search the plane, they found 40 pounds of marijuana aboard.

Choppin was arraigned Wednesday in Long Beach and released on his own recognizance. It is not clear whether he entered a plea.

The Secret Service says Obama was never in danger.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.