Louisville Man Shoots Down Drone

[skb12172]

Hovering over his property. Read the article. The cops give him shit over having and carrying a shotgun legally, then arrest him.

Link

[Jericho941]

Sometimes, stupid does hurt.

[skb12172]

Hovering low enough to look under the cover to his porch? I would have done the same. Read the comments. They will never convict him. Besides, for that area he broke no laws.

[Termite]

Sometimes, stupid does hurt.

If it was below 500ft AGL, and if he shot it down with birdshot it definitely was, then the drone operators were violating FAA regs. It was definitely NOT being operated line-of-sight, it was being operated using a camera linked to a HUD or similiar remote control.

Is he guilty of discharging a firearm in a residential area? Sure. But if you hover your drone over my buddy Keith's home pool while his 16 yr old daughter is tanning or swimming, he'll shoot your toy down too.

Incidences like this are why the FAA wants to license drone operators.

[Netpackrat]

Good for him.

[Weetabix]

Good for him.

+1

I wonder if he'll set up a kick starter defense fund. I'd consider kicking in on that.

[Jered]

Seems like the drone owner needs to be defenestrated for jackassery.

This guy deserves a medal.

[Kommander]

Does this mean that we need a "What Caliber for Drones" thread?

[Netpackrat]

Not sure I follow the logic by which it's OK to trespass on somebody's property and/or pursue voyeurism, if you use a machine to do it. But clearly, if it is deemed unacceptable to fire upon unwanted drones, and the right to operate a drone in violation of property rights is held to be a thing, the solution is an anti-drone drone.

[Denis]

"It was hovering over top of my property, and I shot it out of the sky."

It wasn't long before the drone's owners appeared.

"Four guys came over to confront me about it, and I happened to be armed, so that changed their minds," Merideth said.

A short time later, Merideth said the police arrived.

"There were some words exchanged there about my weapon, and I was open carry – it was completely legal," he said. "Long story short, after that, they took me to jail for wanton endangerment first degree and criminal mischief...because I fired the shotgun into the air."

Merideth said he was disappointed with the police response.

Note his mistake? He wasn't the first to call the police, thus ignoring the first principle of criminal law - "who phones wins". If he had called 911 immediately when his daughter saw the drone and reported a hovering peeping tom, and announced his intention to bring it down if it continued observing his minor female child, the boot would be on the other foot now. Instead, we have:

Merideth was arrested and charged with first degree criminal mischief and first degree wanton endangerment.