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OT: Man Arrested for Shooting Down Drone

What if his wife had been sun bathing nude in the privacy of his back yard? I feel like he is completely in the right in this situation. I will be very disappointed in our judicial system if he is convicted, even of the minor charges that he has currently. Then again I rarely feel that justice is served correctly in this country.
 
Yep...I would have responded the same exact way. Shoot down the drone, then make sure the drone owner knows that he's not anymore welcome on my property than his drone was, and he may reach the same fate as the drone if he crosses that line.

People just have no respect for others anymore. How in the hell is it okay for someone to fly a drone with a camera onto someone else's property? For all this man knew that drone was filming his wife in the shower, or his daughter changing clothes...etc.

Total bullsh*t that he was even arrested in the first place. I hope he counter-sues the hell out of these clowns.
 
What if his wife had been sun bathing nude in the privacy of his back yard? I feel like he is completely in the right in this situation. I will be very disappointed in our judicial system if he is convicted, even of the minor charges that he has currently. Then again I rarely feel that justice is served correctly in this country.

No way they can rightfully charge him with anything. The rub will come when the drone is owned by a gov't agency and is hovering without approval from a judge. Of course the home owner would have no way of knowing if the intrusion is legal or not, if no Search Warrant can be presented prior to the intrusion. Any drone that can be destroyed with bird shot is way too close to the ground. I hope Jay Sekalow or some other high powered lawyer will help this guy. We need good "precedents" going forward.
 
There is now a site where you can register your property as a Drone-Free zone, which I have done.
But you shouldn't be required to do that in order to maintain your right to privacy. The drone operator
in this case was clearly in the wrong. I hope he finds a lawyer willing to go on the offensive.
 
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Yes this in my unlicensed legal opinion is a total invasion in which I would dare someone to throw down a charge because in my opinion it opens up a gateway that if I was the DOJ I would not want to open. First several challenges from the persons standpoint from a Constitutional Rights, Civil Rights, etc. And why if you are the Federal Government would you take the risk of having your spying tactics challenged. I see a lack of communication all of the time. Was there communication between the official or department charging the man and the federal solicitors or US Attorneys office? Because to me if I look at this I just let the guy go on his merry way and chalk it up to letting him feel like he still has privacy rights. Just my three cents
 
First it should be against the law to fly a drone over other people's personally property without permission.

I don't really agree with shooting it out of the sky because I don't really want people to feel they have the right to counter crime with more crime because people will be dumb and try to shoot it with guns less safe than bird shot, but in this case the charges should be dropped.

This is obviously a rapidly changing area that lawmakers need to react and create new laws.
 
I don't understand what he was charged with: "
The Kentuckian was arrested Sunday evening in Hillview, Kentucky, just south of Louisville and charged with criminal mischief and wanton endangerment. He was released the following day. The Hillview Police Department did not immediately respond to Ars’ request for comment.

"
So he was charged for firing his gun? Not the destruction of property?
 
There is something we don't know in this story. It just doesn't make sense. Why would some random dude that lives far enough away that he has to drive to this guy's house hover his drone over his deck? This whole thing is bizarre. Something more is going to come out here.
 
First it should be against the law to fly a drone over other people's personally property without permission.

I don't really agree with shooting it out of the sky because I don't really want people to feel they have the right to counter crime with more crime because people will be dumb and try to shoot it with guns less safe than bird shot, but in this case the charges should be dropped.

This is obviously a rapidly changing area that lawmakers need to react and create new laws.

I agree.. maybe he should have fired a warning shot or something.
 
First it should be against the law to fly a drone over other people's personally property without permission.

I don't really agree with shooting it out of the sky because I don't really want people to feel they have the right to counter crime with more crime because people will be dumb and try to shoot it with guns less safe than bird shot, but in this case the charges should be dropped.

This is obviously a rapidly changing area that lawmakers need to react and create new laws.
bingo. flying a non registered drone over a personal property should be a crime just as putting bullets into the air when no immediate threat is being presented should be a crime. unfortunately laws don't always keep up with technology and poorly written laws could hamper future industries... i.e. amazon.
 
I hope he gets off and doesn't have to pay a cent of restitution. Those drone operators are stupid idiots that deserve to be out $1,800. They are criminal trespassers in my book and peeping Toms.
What? I have a drone that I use for marketing and commercial videos. And also for doing cool things like getting videos of offshore fishing and riding the side by side and things of that that nature. I have no interest in spying on someone with it. Not everyone has thoughs intentions. But yes if a guy was hovering a drone over a guy's property for long enough for him to shoot it down then it he was definitely up to something. I think you have to be parinoid at this point in time to worry about something like that now. I know their popular but there not overly abundant yet.
 
.....
"It was just right there," he told Ars. "It was hovering, I would never have shot it if it was flying. When he came down with a video camera right over my back deck, that's not going to work. I know they're neat little vehicles, but one of those uses shouldn’t be flying into people's yards and videotaping."
.......
Yep, I woulda done the same.
 
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"It was just right there," he told Ars. "It was hovering, I would never have shot it if it was flying. When he came down with a video camera right over my back deck, that's not going to work. I know they're neat little vehicles, but one of those uses shouldn’t be flying into people's yards and videotaping."
.......
Yep, I woulda done the same.
I get that dude was trying to check something out. But in live in a crowded neighborhood in town so I'd get in trouble for just shooting a weapon. There only gonna get more and more abundant so their gonna have to do something in the future. But this kind of thing right now isn't gonna happen everyday.
 
What? I have a drone that I use for marketing and commercial videos. And also for doing cool things like getting videos of offshore fishing and riding the side by side and things of that that nature. I have no interest in spying on someone with it. Not everyone has thoughs intentions. But yes if a guy was hovering a drone over a guy's property for long enough for him to shoot it down then it he was definitely up to something. I think you have to be parinoid at this point in time to worry about something like that now. I know their popular but there not overly abundant yet.
I think we are in agreement, right? No problem with you flying your drone over public property, or private property with permission. If someone shoots it down, then they should have to pay. But if you fly your drone into a man's back yard and could be potentially video taping him in the privacy of his home without permission, you should expect to have your drone obliterated aND probably should be arrested for some invasion of privacy law.
 
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I think we are in agreement, right? No problem with you flying your drone over public property, or private property with permission. If someone shoots it down, then they should have to pay. But if you fly your drone into a man's back yard and could be potentially video taping him in the privacy of his home without permission, you should expect to have your drone obliterated aND probably should be arrested for some invasion of privacy law.

I agree..my question is how would you know where the drone was shot down? It seems this guy was quite the cowboy in this article. White trash idiots love to announce their right of being able to shoot someone who steps on their property.. it's their favorite of all freedoms.
 
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I agree..my question is how would you know where the drone was shot down? It seems this guy was quite the cowboy in this article. White trash idiots love to announce their right of being able to shoot someone who steps on their property.. it's their favorite of all freedoms.


Direct quote from article: "It was just right there," he told Ars. "It was hovering, I would never have shot it if it was flying. When he came down with a video camera right over my back deck, that's not going to work. I know they're neat little vehicles, but one of those uses shouldn’t be flying into people's yards and videotaping."

He may sound like a bit of a cowboy, but he came across as a responsible gun enthusiast when knowing the importance of using a shotgun/bird shot vs using a small caliber rifle. He seemed respectful of the drone owner until that privacy line was crossed and he then justifiably reacted.
 
I agree..my question is how would you know where the drone was shot down? It seems this guy was quite the cowboy in this article. White trash idiots love to announce their right of being able to shoot someone who steps on their property.. it's their favorite of all freedoms.
I guess if it lands in his yard, it had to be flying over his yard. That said, it's a little strong to be calling this guy a white trash idiot because he owned a shotgun and shot down a drone filming over his property. Maybe he is, but I didn't get the sense that he was just some "cowboy" looking to fire off his shotgun in his neighborhood at the first sight of something on his property based on what I read in that article.
 
How far away is the range?
I guess if it lands in his yard, it had to be flying over his yard. That said, it's a little strong to be calling this guy a white trash idiot because he owned a shotgun and shot down a drone filming over his property. Maybe he is, but I didn't get the sense that he was just some "cowboy" looking to fire off his shotgun in his neighborhood at the first sight of something on his property based on what I read in that article.

I didn't really either until he threatened to shoot the guys who were flying it. I started thinking about it would you first look around to see who was flying it? Are you flying it by eye sight ..so they couldn't be that far away. Do they fly it via the on board camera.. also if he raised his gun would they see that & fly away. That should have solved the problem. I don't know if they thing was sitting around his house for 10 minutes or so vs just swooping down makes a big difference in my opinion of this shooting.
 
I don't blame the guy. It would piss me off too.

Don't blame these guys either:



I fail to see how the drone was interfering with anything in that video. Maybe they didn't like being watched but it was not getting in the way of their job whatsoever as the title suggests. I'm cool with shooting them down btw and if the owner of the house agreed to it.... Fire away. But if these guys just shot it down because they didn't like being watched that is kind of bad. It's the property owners decision, not theirs. Who knows. Maybe they did tell them to take it out.....
 
I fail to see how the drone was interfering with anything in that video. Maybe they didn't like being watched but it was not getting in the way of their job whatsoever as the title suggests. I'm cool with shooting them down btw and if the owner of the house agreed to it.... Fire away. But if these guys just shot it down because they didn't like being watched that is kind of bad. It's the property owners decision, not theirs. Who knows. Maybe they did tell them to take it out.....
Good to know they focused on a harmless drone instead of fighting a fire.
 
I doubt the guy was just sitting on his deck with a shotgun waiting for doves to fly over,etc. He saw drone hovering over his deck. Goes inside to retrieve shotgun. Comes back out to the deck and drone is still there hovering. He shoots it down. Doesn't sound like a knee jerk reaction to me and I would've done the same. The owner of the drone obviously knew where his drone was as he had to be controlling it. Homeowner is pissed at the invasion into his private space and in anticipation of drone dude coming over, decides to strap on his heater. Drone dude rides up with a posse and calls him a SOB. Yeah, I think I would have advised him not to enter my property, also.
 
What does that even mean?

What do you think it means? How far are the pilots away from the drone. If they can have to see it to fly it.. then the shooter guy should probably be able to see who is flying it. I as a reasonable person would look to see if I could find the pilots and ask them not to fly the thing in my back yard. Then if they continued I would probably tell them to get it the fvck away from my house or I will rid myself of it.



It states it was 4 angry dudes coming onto his property after he shot down the drone. Does he not have the right to protect himself, family and property?

Of course he can defend himself & family. Can't they question why he just blasted the drone out of the sky. He's saying they were looking for a fight.. he may be right probably so. If they drove up threatening or got out running it's completely different. If they just drove up looking pissed off & he says step on my property & Ill shoot you that's another.

For the record I hate everyone in this story.. the pilots and shooters are most likely assholes.
 
No it isn't. It's a fair warning.
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I think we are in agreement, right? No problem with you flying your drone over public property, or private property with permission. If someone shoots it down, then they should have to pay. But if you fly your drone into a man's back yard and could be potentially video taping him in the privacy of his home without permission, you should expect to have your drone obliterated aND probably should be arrested for some invasion of privacy law.
Oh yeh absolutely if you let go of the sticks mine just hovers. I'm sure that one was similar probably the same one. Mine has a gimble that you mount a gopro to. You can have a live fpv setup and see the live feed from the camera. I haven't poney'd up for that yet so I just watch mine. But theoretically you can take them as far away as a mile and a half from where you are but you need the fpv setup to do that safely.
I would never try to spy on someone and I rarely fly it in my neighborhood. But you know there's always going to be people to use them in the wrong way.
Here's a video I did of my buddy cutting wheat just to show you what they should be used for.
 
There is something we don't know in this story. It just doesn't make sense. Why would some random dude that lives far enough away that he has to drive to this guy's house hover his drone over his deck? This whole thing is bizarre. Something more is going to come out here.

They could have been casing the neighborhood for the best places to rob for all we know.
 
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They could have been casing the neighborhood for the best places to rob for all we know.
This was my thought. A person looking to rob house could use the drone to find out when the house is empty. Or in the Summer when family is on vacation. I do think drones have a great use. Like for instructional video. Or in searching for a lost person. Or doing research on animals. But being nosy and hovering over someone's backyard? Nah. That is not going to work for me either.
 
As someone who doesn't usually side with the 'gun crowd' this guy should never have been arrested. If anything the guy with the drone should have gotten a ticket. If there isn't a law about flying drones over private property it should be a no brainier next time anyone in the government gets around to working again instead of campaigning.
 
There is something we don't know in this story. It just doesn't make sense. Why would some random dude that lives far enough away that he has to drive to this guy's house hover his drone over his deck? This whole thing is bizarre. Something more is going to come out here.
Would it surprise you if we find out that his wife sunbathes in the nude regularly on their back deck?
 
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