[DarkKnight]

A Kentucky man, 47-year-old William Merideth, is arrested and charged with first-degree criminal mischief and first-degree wanton endangerment, after he shot down a drone worth $1,800 while it was flying over his house. He was booked into the Bullitt County Detention Center on July 26, but was later released.

While the owner of the drone claimed he was flying it to get pictures of a friend’s house, Merideth said the drone violated his right to privacy.

“Sunday afternoon, the kids – my girls – were out on the back deck, and the neighbors were out in their yard. And they come in and said, ‘Dad, there’s a drone out here, flying over everybody’s yard’. Well, I came out and it was down by the neighbor’s house, about 10 feet off the ground, looking under their canopy that they’ve got in their back yard. I went and got my shotgun and I said, ‘I’m not going to do anything unless it’s directly over my property’. Within a minute or so, here it came.

It was hovering over top of my property, and I shot it out of the sky. I didn’t shoot across the road, I didn’t shoot across my neighbor’s fences, I shot directly into the air. Four guys came over to confront me about it, and I happened to be armed, so that changed their minds. They asked me, ‘Are you the S-O-B that shot my drone?’ and I said, ‘Yes I am’. I had my 40 mm Glock on me and they started toward me and I told them, ‘If you cross my sidewalk, there’s gonna be another shooting’,” he told WDRB News.

Merideth was not apologetic for his actions. “He didn’t just fly over. If he had been moving and just kept moving, that would have been one thing – but when he come directly over our heads, and just hovered there, I felt like I had the right. You know, when you’re in your own property, within a six-foot privacy fence, you have the expectation of privacy. We don’t know if he was looking at the girls. We don’t know if he was looking for something to steal. To me, it was the same as trespassing,” he said, justifying the shooting.

Hillview Police were called to Merideth’s house after someone complained about a firearm. He was arrested soon afterward. “There were some words exchanged there about my weapon, and I was open carry — it was completely legal. They took me to jail because I fired the shotgun into the air. They didn’t confiscate the drone. They gave the drone back to the individuals. They didn’t take the SIM card out of it but we’ve got five houses here that everyone saw it – they saw what happened, including the neighbors that were sitting in their patio when he flew down low enough to see under the patio,” he complained.

Facing trial himself, Merideth plans to take legal action against the owners of the drone. “We’re not going to let it go. I believe there are rules that need to be put into place and the situation needs to be addressed. We need to have some laws in place to handle these kind of things.”

[Khris]

He had no right to shoot it. If he was looking at the girls it doesn't really matter lol that's fucking stupid to get all pissy about. He deserves what's coming to him (the redneck with the gun). It's not trespassing, if you are trespassing, you have a malicious intention. And the fact that he threatened the guy if he came on his property there'd be another shooting? wow. Just because someone is on your property does not mean you can hurt them or damage their things.

[Dyme]

Four guys came over to confront me about it, and I happened to be armed, so that changed their minds. They asked me, ‘Are you the S-O-B that shot my drone?’ and I said, ‘Yes I am’. I had my 40 mm Glock on me and they started toward me and I told them, ‘If you cross my sidewalk, there’s gonna be another shooting’,” he told WDRB News.

woahhhh watch the fuck out this dude is a badass!!!! every republican's wet dream!!!

[Dismas]

I think someone should be able to disable/destroy a drone if it is flying over their property. People have a basic expectation of privacy. The only issue is that this man fired a shotgun into the air. The bullets or drone fragments could very easily end up hitting someone on the way down.

[Eclipse]

I think someone should be able to disable/destroy a drone if it is flying over their property. People have a basic expectation of privacy. The only issue is that this man fired a shotgun into the air. The bullets or drone fragments could very easily end up hitting someone on the way down.

I was just going to post something along these lines.

OT: I saw this about a week ago. I was pretty shocked until I realized that they'd arrested him because he shot down a flying drone. That law is in place to prevent damage to shit in the air and on the ground from falling fragments and shrapnel. Needless to say, both parties were in the wrong.

[mothered]

There's many different angles this can be taken Into account.

If a low-flying passenger plane was making an emergency landing, thus flying over one's house, does he have the right to shoot It down? Evidently not. Each Individual Incident should be judged on It's merits.

[Satan]

Hoookay.

While I disagree with him shooting it down, I applaud it.
These other people who claim to have been using it to get pictures of a house, sounds like a load of bullshit. You wouldn't be in other's yards for that, much less moving from yard to yard.

Either they are perverts, or planned on doing some criminal shit.

He has a right to not have some shitnosed kid flying a likely heavy object around on his property, especially with it having a camera. I doubt these idiots were keeping a physical eye on it and just using the camera to fly it around, which could easily be quite dangerous.

He stood up for his right.
And how they, as the article says, came at him, makes me believe they were probably using it for more of a criminal purpose than anything, if it were genuinely them not trying to do shady things, they'd of just had their rich parents handle it with lawyers, not try to start a physical confrontation.

There's no legitimate reason to be peering in others yards with a drone, under the circumstances of this case.

If it were up to me, they can get themselves a new one, and pay for the ammo it took to take the thing down.

They shouldn't of flown it anywhere but where they had permission to do so.

He had no right to shoot it. If he was looking at the girls it doesn't really matter lol that's fucking stupid to get all pissy about. He deserves what's coming to him (the redneck with the gun). It's not trespassing, if you are trespassing, you have a malicious intention. And the fact that he threatened the guy if he came on his property there'd be another shooting? wow. Just because someone is on your property does not mean you can hurt them or damage their things.

"Trespass. An unlawful intrusion that interferes with one's person or property. Tort Law originated in England with the action of trespass. Initially trespass was any wrongful conduct directly causing injury or loss; in modern law trespass is an unauthorized entry upon land."

Your info is outdated bro.

[Equinox]

He had no right to shoot it. If he was looking at the girls it doesn't really matter lol that's fucking stupid to get all pissy about. He deserves what's coming to him (the redneck with the gun). It's not trespassing, if you are trespassing, you have a malicious intention. And the fact that he threatened the guy if he came on his property there'd be another shooting? wow. Just because someone is on your property does not mean you can hurt them or damage their things.

He has every right to shoot it. Especially since it's invading privacy, what's more is that if he was actually looking at the girls (the drone controller, that is), then any father in his right mind would try to take that down. And, if someone is on your property, without permission mind you, then it does give you the right (and you think he's the dumb one lol).

Morals != laws

[Nyx]

He had no right to shoot it. If he was looking at the girls it doesn't really matter lol that's fucking stupid to get all pissy about. He deserves what's coming to him (the redneck with the gun). It's not trespassing, if you are trespassing, you have a malicious intention. And the fact that he threatened the guy if he came on his property there'd be another shooting? wow. Just because someone is on your property does not mean you can hurt them or damage their things.

You seriously have to be stupid. "It really doesn't matter"? Yes it does, everyone has their right to privacy, especially in their own backyard behind a fence. If you're going to fly a drone, do it in a field or your own yard, don't be flying into other peoples' yards taking videos of them. How would you like it if I came into your yard and just started walking around with a camera taking videos of all your family that was there? You wouldn't like it and I guarantee that.

[DarkKnight]

Privacy is everything in the 21st centuary the person controling the drone was the preverted one...