Ohio City Drops Charges Against Man Arrested for Flying Drone at Scene of Accident
(Reuters)
This year’s super-fast swell in consumer drone use among professional and hobbyist photographers has left regulators around the country scratching their collective heads. The latest example of this comes by way of a Springfield, Ohio, case where one man, originally arrested in April for operating his drone at the site of a traffic accident, has been relieved of all charges.
The case’s chief prosecutor told WHIO that all felony and misdemeanor charges were dropped against photographer Kele Stanley after his drone’s footage was reviewed by officials, verifying that deputies on the scene in fact never told Stanley to land his unmanned vehicle.
Stanley was arrested that day for obstruction and misconduct at the scene of an emergency. Police at the time said his drone was invading the airspace above the accident where medical help was helicoptering in.
And though the ordeal has ended with the photographer only having to agree to take a drone safety class at a local community college (in addition to paying court fees), both he and Springfield city prosecution agree that instances like this could be avoided in the future if the FAA comes forward with more firm rules and protections for consumer and hobbyist drone use.
Other recent drone-related arrests and brushes with the law — including a fly-in at the U.S. Open in New York City and the shooting down of one man’s drone while flying over another man’s property — would also suggest that this Wild West tech space needs a little more legal clarity.
E-retailer Amazon learned this year that its plans to fulfill small-item online orders by way of drone delivery would be considered illegal by the FAA — for now. The regulatory service sent a public message of sorts to Jeff Bezos’ company months after the CEO appeared on television to pull the curtain back on Amazon’s conceptual Prime Air service.
Even with Prime Air years away from possible rollout, Amazon, having made little to no progress in clearing the regulatory haze, recently threatened to take its airborne service to other global markets if the U.S. doesn’t change its tune quickly.
Restaurant TGI Fridays, on the other hand, has been given no cease-and-desist orders over its holiday #Togethermas promotion, where it flies mistletoe-bearing drones above patron couples seated at its chain locations. And this is despite one woman actually being struck in the face by a “merry” quadcopter while at a Brooklyn Fridays.
So, whether for fun or for profit, drone advocates still await a fair and consistent set of general regulations. In the meantime, let’s all agree to be reasonable with “legal” drone use (looking at you, TGI Fridays).
Email me at danbean@yahoo-inc.com. Follow me on Twitter at @danielwbean.
