Words (nearly) fail. A Salem, Virginia, man has pleaded guilty to repeatedly buzzing a group of firefighters with his drone, a craft he subsequently demanded police return after it crashed inside the station where the rattled responders had taken refuge. The defendant now risks a three-year prison sentence and a $250,000 fine.
The defendant pleaded guilty November 12 to harassing the firefighters using an unregistered drone, according to a statement by the US Attorney of the Western District of Virginia prosecuting the case. The events took place way back in July, 2019, when a UAV repeatedly flew at and dove toward a group of responders standing on a driveway outside Salem’s main fire station. The buzzing continued long enough – up to 10 minutes by some accounts – for a pair of the targeted workers to try swatting the UAV down with a garbage bag, then blast it with a hose.
The swooping finally ended when the drone struck objects inside the station the…
