A protective Kentucky father was arrested Tuesday for shooting down a drone that crossed his property line. William H. Meredith reportedly downed the $1,800 drone with Number 8 birdshot when he saw it lingering over his backyard. "It was just right there," he toldArs Technica. "It was hovering, I would never have shot it if it was flying."
"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."
Minutes later the drone's furious owner pulled up in front of Meredith's house, but Meredith stood his ground:
"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.'"
The police arrived shortly afterward, and Meredith was arrested and charged with wanton endangerment and criminal mischief. He says he's confident that the charges against him will be dropped. Meanwhile the drone's owner, David Boggs, released the drone's flight data and claims it was 200 feet in the air when Meredith shot it down.
