William Merideth, the man who was arrested for shooting down a quadcopter over his property in Kentucky, has now been cleared of all charges in the incident. After a two-hour hearing in Bullitt County on Monday, a judge ruled that Merideth was within his rights, and the dismissed the charges of first-degree criminal mischief and first-degree wanton endangerment.

"Was it handled the right way? I don't think so. But justice came out in the end," Merideth told local news station WDRB.

Merideth, who took down the quadcopter with ease using a shotgun, claims that the drone had been flying just ten feet above the ground over his property, spying on him and his family, and even peeking in windows. Pilot David Boggs refuted those claims, offering up flight data that seems to show the drone was higher than Merideth had claimed, and even released (but then deleted) footage of the drone's last moments.

According to WDRB, however, Judge Rebecca Ward deferred to several eyewitnesses that put the drone's altitude below the tree line. "He had a right to shoot at this drone, and I'm gonna dismiss this charge."

While the question of whether or not it's ever OK to shoot down a drone has been debated and considered in hypothetical terms, this is the first time a court has ruled on a specific incident. It's a question that will only become more important in the future. The FAA expects some one million drones to be sold this Christmas. Delivery drones are likely on the way too. And to top it all off, these things are pretty easy to shoot down.

The case will no doubt be a reference point for future debate, but it's worth noting that this particular decision doesn't constitute "precedent" in the legal sense, since precedent only flows down from higher courts to lower ones. But Boggs told WDRB he wants to take the case to a grand jury.

In the meantime, Merideth is relishing his victory. "I was in my right to protect my family and my property," Merideth told WDRB, although he also acknowledges there are some limits. "Now I don't encourage people to just go out and start blasting stuff for no reason - but three times in one day, three times over the course of a year, six times total, over one property? That's not right, that's harassment."

But while a shotgun may get the job done well, we might recommend a cyber rifle instead. Or maybe just calling the cops like a responsible adult instead of breaking out the arsenal.

Source: WDRB

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