Drones have been adopted as a surveillance device by many law enforcement agencies all over the USA but folks aren’t too happy being tracked by the pesky little machines. Especially so this man from Mount Dora, Florida, who just defaulted to shooting down a drone that was too close to his property. Florida is famous for a lot of weird stuff but, this is a bit extreme. Frowning upon drone surveillance is one thing, shooting down a drone belonging to authorities is another.
A 50-year-old man from Mount Dora, Florida has been arrested for shooting down and damaging a drone. The drone belonged to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. It was flying near the man’s property early morning this Sunday before it was shot down. The man’s name was Wendell Goney and he was soon arrested moments after the drone was shot down.
People have been apprehensive of all the new ways the government is trying to keep checks on them but that doesn’t mean that can go out guns blazing. According to the arrest affidavit, Wendell shot down the drone because he “thought it was trying to harass him”. Depends on how close the drone actually was to his home. According to the deputies, the drone was shot twice before it eventually fell from the air and fell on a nearby structure. The drone finally caught on fire as well.
The drone was deployed to search through the nearby lot as the deputies were investigating a burglary around 6:30 am. The burglary happened on the 2400 block of Britt Road in Mount Dora. The drone was minding its own business when they heard two shots fired nearby and watched the drone fall. The deputies called the fire department when the drone caught on fire while one of them found Wendell at his home.
According to the arrest affidavit, Wendell told the deputy that he used a .22 caliber rifle to shoot at the drone twice and went back inside his home after he confirmed that the drone was going down. Wendell was arrested on July 13th and his rifle was confiscated. He is charged with shooting into a vessel or vehicle, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, improper exhibition of a firearm, and criminal mischief over $1,000.
I guess Wendell’s drone shooting days are over.