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posted by cmn32480 on Thursday October 29 2015, @03:02AM   Printer-friendly
from the get-off-my-lawn dept.

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


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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 29 2015, @01:33PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 29 2015, @01:33PM (#256001)

    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

    by Phoenix666 (552) on Thursday October 29 2015, @08:41PM (#256224) Journal

    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.