Florida Man ‘Harassed’ by Police Drone Could Get 10 Years In Federal Prison

‘Florida Man’ is everyone’s favorite news and this story is no exception. This time, someone is going to jail for shooting down a $29,000 police drone for ‘harassing’ them.

From an AP report:

“Wendell Doyle Goney, 52, of Mount Dora, pleaded guilty Thursday in Ocala federal court to possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, according to court records. His sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 18.

Lake County sheriff’s deputies responded to a burglary at a 10-acre industrial property in July 2021 in Mount Dora, northwest of Orlando, according to a plea agreement.

As deputies used a $29,000 drone in the outdoor search, gunfire from a neighboring residential property caused it to crash into a metal roof and catch fire, prosecutors said.”

Officers found Goney with the .22-caliber rifle he used to shoot down the police drone. 

Also read: Florida Man Arrested Again For Trying To Cross the Atlantic In A Hamster Wheel, Saying He Has A Bomb

A record check revealed that the suspect had 29 Florida felony convictions, with aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer and resisting arrest with violence on the list.

Many have wondered, “do you have the right to shoot a drone hovering on top of your backyard or property?” and the answer is “no”.

While some might think they have a reasonable expectation of privacy and cannot be filmed or photographed from the air, the US Supreme Court has ruled otherwise multiple times – and no, you cannot claim self-defense.

Also read: Not Again! An Air National Guardsman Arrested After He Used A Parody Killer-for-Hire Website

*Image by Thomas Ehrhardt on Pixabay