LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A Hillview man has been arrested after he shot down a drone flying over his property -- but he's not making any apologies for it.
It happened Sunday night at a home in Bullitt County, according to an arrest report.
Hillview Police say they were called to the home of 47-year-old William H. Merideth after someone complained about a firearm.
When they arrived, police say Merideth told them he had shot down a drone that was flying over his house. The drone was hit in mid-air and crashed in a field near Merideth's home.
Police say the owner of the drone claimed he was flying it to get pictures of a friend's house -- and that the cost of the drone was over $1,800.
Merideth was arrested and charged with first degree criminal mischief and first degree wanton endangerment. He was booked into the Bullitt County Detention Center, and released on Monday.
"Sunday afternoon, the kids – my girls – were out on the back deck, and the neighbors were out in their yard," Merideth said. "And they come in and said, 'Dad, there’s a drone out here, flying over everybody’s yard.'"
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I would have done the same. How can you tell if it's a govt drone. Either way it's coming down.
ReplyDeleteWe have laws protecting people from peeping toms, etc.in any place where as the homeowner said, "you have an expectation of privacy". Obviously, on your own property, with a six foot privacy fence, you have an expectation of privacy. The police should have taken the SD card and downloaded it to see what these guys were up to before charging the homeowner. If the drone operators will not share the original card, then the DA should throw out the case. If I were the homeowner, I would definitely request a trial by jury.
ReplyDeleteThat would require the police the think....an unlikely scenario
DeleteSo with that thinking should news helicopters, helicopters in generals and planes flying over your house be shot down as well?
DeleteOhhhj I bet you you just think your so clever with that one don't you. The difference since it seems to escape you is that drones inherently record where helicopters and planes do not. There is an expected right of privacy at your home. As documented by supreme court rulings. Accordingly...you have a right to defend that privacy. Despite your obvious liberal socialist tendencies
DeleteNewsflash Dingdong, not all drones have cameras, and not all drones that have cameras are recording.
DeleteAnd not all libtards are stupid. Ok so im wrong.
DeleteGood shooting you should get a reward.
ReplyDeleteActions like this will level the playing field and allow drones to fire back,and they are a heck of a lot more accurate than a human with a gun.When deliveries begin this mentality must stop.The transition to a new era will be difficult for most of us,but change is never easy.
ReplyDeleteI agree 10AM
ReplyDelete10:00 I'm with you, government drone or not.
ReplyDeleteand...here...we...go.
ReplyDeleteI too would have done the same.
ReplyDeleteIf an actual person was doing what the drone did, it would be seen as the violation of privacy that it is. The drone is just an extension of the person's senses. This was trespassing.
Looking under a porch awning...
Crossbow is silent!
ReplyDeleteGood idea...suppresor at a minimum
Deletecome fly over my property wont be anything to recover
ReplyDeleteIf someone flies one over my house I assume they don't want it any more.
ReplyDeleteI also have a crossbow and would love opportunity to take target practice if it flies over my yard.
ReplyDeleteCross bow? And your bragging about that? I bet you don't have any weapons. Mommy got you that bow tho.
DeleteOk, it is obvious that legislation has not kept up with this new technology. Here is my suggestion, a drone operator should not fly his drone any lower over private property, that the reach of a shotgun. Thus, a self regulating law.
ReplyDeleteWhat size she'll and how hot of a load?
Deletethe guy with the drone got what he should have been expected flying over someones house snooping to see what he could see. drones should have to be registered with numbers so people can contact authorities when one is snooping in someones privacy space if they dont want them destroyed
ReplyDeleteBunch of crazies in here. Unless a drone is HOVERING 15/20ft above you its not going to get clear pics of faces and body parts. If its doing that fine have at it. If its just casually FLYING 100ft above you have nothing to worry about. Huge difference between HOVERING and FLYING. I own a custom built hexacopter with all the bells and whistles. My camera setup is in excess of $700 and unless I'm hovering at a low altitude I can't see peoples faces. Media has people freaking out over nothing.
ReplyDeleteYou'd be surprised at the resolution some of these HD setups can achieve. They can certainly take a clear enough photo to identify someone.
DeleteI have a drone too, with an HD video camera, but I would never dream of flying it above my neighbor's property. It would be like mounting a camera on a pole and suspending it over the property line, which is a willful invasion of privacy in my opinion. I only fly it over acreage at my farm, for fun; I don't even fly it at my house because it's only about an acre.
No I wouldn't because i be been flying these things for years well before low price offerings were made available to the general public. I have a 20mp cam on a brushless gimbal and its top of the line until you get into the $10k movie camera setups. I cannot make a face out unless my altitude is 25/30ft or below. I also have it setup for fpv and when I'm zinging around an aerial park I'm going way too fast to see anyone. Again, HOVERING and FLYING are 2 different things. If someone is hovering above your property blast them out of the sky. If someone is just passing by let them be no harm done. Americans have developed a ridiculous sense of self entitlement (and yes I'm american lol).
DeleteThat I agree with: hovering vs. a non-invasive flyover are two different things altogether.
DeleteAll that tech crap you bought with your money and your you didn't buy a lense good enough to see a face from 35 '? Bet that adventure of yours failed huh?
DeleteSay that a peeping Tom had purchased this drone and decided to hover it near your window...what is the difference? I guess you are supposed to wait and find out what the drone is being used for....
ReplyDeleteIf he's HOVERING he's up to no good. If he's just FLYING past then that's all it is. That's the difference, HOVERING vs FLYING.
DeleteThe drone operator should operate the drone at a higher altitude until the intended target is in sight and then a vertical drop. Flying low over other people's property with activated camera equipment is an invasion of privacy. Better get some drone insurance if you intend to disregard private property.
ReplyDelete"Flying low over other people's property with activated camera equipment is an invasion of privacy."
DeleteThat's the thing, the one who feels their privacy is being invaded doesn't know if the camera is activated or what the pilots intentions are.
I am fairly certain you will see the charges dropped pretty quickly in this case. It seems most all comments on every article I read side with the gentleman who shot down the drone.
ReplyDeleteThe owner of that down need time with a baseball bat
ReplyDeleteThey are manufacturing shotgun shells specifically for shooting down Drones, they have lead balls attached to steel wire to get into the propellers and tangle them up, dropping it out of the sky. Available online at specialty ammo sites.
ReplyDeleteUntrue. But funny
DeleteGuns should be outlawed.
ReplyDelete