Drone shooting: US home-owner faces charges

 

 

A man in the US has shot down a drone hovering over his back garden.

William Meredith, from Hillview, Kentucky, was subsequently arrested by police.
According to local media, he was arrested and charged with first degree criminal mischief and first degree wanton endangerment.

Mr Meredith told a local news station: "It was hovering over the top of my property, and I shot it out of the sky."
On Sunday, Mr Meredith's daughters came in from the back garden to tell their father that they had spotted a drone flying overhead.

Privacy fears

In a report broadcast by a local Fox-affiliated news channel, Mr Meredith explained that the drone was hovering 10ft above the ground. When it moved over his property, he shot it down.
"I didn't shoot across the road, I didn't shoot across my neighbour's fences, I shot directly into the air," he said.
He also explained that he was concerned that the drone was invading his privacy and that of his daughters.
Four men, the owners of the downed drone, later confronted Mr Meredith outside his house, but he warned them off, explaining that he was armed.
Police in Hillview arrested Mr Meredith and charged him with offences relating to the discharge of a firearm.
This is far from being the first time that US home-owners have taken to warding off small drones with guns.
Just this week, a court in California ruled in favour of a drone-owner who sued a man who shot his hexacopter.

Fire watch

But the law isn't always in favour of drone pilots.
Over the weekend, Californian officials agreed to offer a total of $75,000 (£48,000) in rewards for information that would help catch drone operators who flew their vehicles over recent wildfires in San Bernardino County.
The flight of hobbyists' drones near to wildfires caused firefighting aircraft to be grounded for safety reasons, leading to the faster spread of the fires.
District attorney Mike Ramos said in a statement: "We want to know who was flying drones, and we want them punished.
"Someone knows who they are, and there is $75,000 waiting for them."