Man Arrested For Hindering Firefighters By Flying Drone Over Wildfires

Drones have the potential to be both useful and a hindrance. For example a couple of years ago, it was reported that enthusiastic drone owners in a bid to capture video footage actually ended up impeding the efforts of firefighters and forced them to ground their planes and helicopters as the drones were in their way.

This led to the state of California passing a new bill which allows firefighters to legally ground rogue drones that are in their way. Now despite how obvious how this could be dangerous, there are people out there who still think that they can get away with it, and over in Arizona, a man has been arrested for flying his drone over wildfires and hindering the efforts of firefighters.

A report from AZ Central has revealed that local police have arrested 54-year old Gene Alan Carpenter and have charged him with the unlawful operations of an unmanned aircraft and endangerment for allegedly putting both air and fire crews at risk. Carpenter was arrested after it his photos of the wildfire were posted on his website. His drone was also seized from his vehicle at the time of his arrest.

To top things off, Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Dwight D’Evelyn has suggested that in addition to violating state law, Carpenter could also be facing federal charges.

Tyler Lee
Categories: Robots
Tags: Drones, Legal