SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
El Reg reports
A father who shot down a drone that was hovering over his family home in Kentucky has been cleared of all charges.
Dad-of-two William Merideth thought the quadcopter was spying on his daughters in their yard in Hillview and blasted the gizmo out of the sky with a shotgun. That earned him the title "Drone Slayer" from pro-privacy quarters.
Merideth was arrested shortly after in July and charged with criminal mischief and wanton endangerment.
He appeared before the Bullitt County District Court on Monday this week and after a two and a half hour hearing, Judge Rebecca Ward dismissed the case against him.
"I was in my right to protect my family and my property", said Merideth.
The judge agreed, telling the court: "He had a right to shoot at this drone."
David Boggs, who owned the downed drone, was hoping to get the cost of the machine in compensation and said he will ask the Commonwealth's Attorney's office to take the case to a grand jury--or consider pursuing a civil case against Merideth.
Previous: Man Arrested for Shooting Down Drone Flying Over His Property
(Score: 2) by Tork on Thursday October 29 2015, @04:19AM
🏳️🌈 Proud Ally 🏳️🌈
(Score: 5, Informative) by CirclesInSand on Thursday October 29 2015, @05:10AM
A very long time. Shooting shotguns into the air isn't that dangerous...by the time the tiny shot pellets lose their upward momentum, they've basically lost all their momentum. It's not like bullets, which can overcome air resistance enough to keep their forward momentum.
That's why you have outdoor skeet shooting contests, but not outdoor scatter shotgun sniping contests.
(Score: 2, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 29 2015, @05:23AM
Specifically, most bullets have a better ballistic coefficient and a higher sectional density, so they go faster at longer ranges and penetrate more efficiently at a given velocity.
That said, the level of damage done by a bullet shot at any plausible elevation for drone killing, on its return to earth, is far, far, far below what it would do within 100 yards.
(Score: 2) by frojack on Thursday October 29 2015, @08:22AM
I've been hit by shotgun pellets (birdshot, #6) at about 100 yards. No effect.
Shotguns are totally ineffective at that range.
A drone much beyond 40 yards would probably not be damaged unless you were using #4 or larger shot (geese loads).
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 2) by Tork on Thursday October 29 2015, @05:25AM
🏳️🌈 Proud Ally 🏳️🌈
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 29 2015, @06:16AM
In my travels, I have found that dumb rednecks are not restricted to any particular geographic region.
As best I can tell, the bell curve for intelligence applies globally.
-- gewg_
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 29 2015, @08:29PM
Down here they use traffic signs for target practice. Do you think they'll treat drones any different?
(Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Thursday October 29 2015, @08:39PM
Yeah I'd say that's true. I've seen plenty of dumb redneck-style antics in rural China and Vietnam. The only difference was they chewed betel nut instead of Red Man.
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 2) by edIII on Thursday October 29 2015, @06:21PM
You, sir, need to learn about the Redneck Olympics.
Alcohol does *not* need to be involved for Redneck's to run around shooting fireworks and such at each other. Just good ol' fashioned goofing off.
Technically, lunchtime is at any moment. It's just a wave function.
(Score: 2) by Tork on Thursday October 29 2015, @06:46PM
Alcohol does *not* need to be involved for Redneck's to run around shooting fireworks and such at each other.
Heh. Sorry if I'm earning myself a big 'woosh' here, but that's exactly what I was saying in my post. These living cartoons were burning each others' faces with bottle rockets WITHOUT even having alcohol to serve as an alibi.
🏳️🌈 Proud Ally 🏳️🌈
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 29 2015, @11:37AM
If you think the idiots shooting guns in the air is going to restrain themselves to shotguns only, I have several bridges up on craigslist.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 29 2015, @05:47AM
Alternatively how long until someone crashes a drone and kills someone with four whirring carbon-fiber blades?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 29 2015, @01:33PM
Alternatively how long until someone crashes a drone and kills someone with four whirring carbon-fiber blades?
Probably a really long time because they'll cut you up pretty bad but to kill you would require bleeding out. I think it is far more likely someone is going to be killed when a few pounds of plastic lands on their head. Don't believe me? Ultra common mistake for new r/c pilots: flying the darn thing into yourself by accident. Some people give up at that point, it is probably best for them.
(Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Thursday October 29 2015, @08:41PM
Not too long ago a guy decapitated himself with his drone in Brooklyn:
http://blogs.wsj.com/metropolis/2013/09/05/remote-control-helicopter-kills-man-in-brooklyn/ [wsj.com]
Washington DC delenda est.