Theres a guy in the southern part of the state that I live in thinks that if he puts recreational photography only he can post hundreds of pictures of everything including flying over active forest fires and house fires and doesn't need a 107.
Or perhaps the better question is why did the pilot deliberately provoke the authorities, prompting them to seek his arrest in the first place? He certainly did himself no favors, even if he wasn't committing the crime of the century.