Illegal Flight Over Stadium

[dirkclod]

Bet they get off easy. Not saying they should Just saying they do. But bet they don’t do it again. We‘ll see. I mean if big shots within the FAA can fly BVlOS and it’s ok then I just don’t see these guys getting smoked. Or not to bad anyway. JMO

 

[Big Bro]

From the article...

"Dabney and Lenhoff are each charged with operating an unregistered drone, a federal crime punishable by up to three years in prison, DOJ says.

Officials say Dabney is also charged with violating a temporary flight restriction, punishable by up to one year in prison."


Think these guys will serve or will Saul Goodman work a deal?

.

I'm thinking that if they took this long to put together a case, got the DOJ involved, charged them criminally, that they have plans to set an example. We'll see!

 

[dirkclod]

Yes I agree and bro what I’ve seen here and other of our forums I could keep them busy for awhile. Why I’ve always screen saved stuff in cause I’ve needed it. You never know

 

[heightened_imagery]

Here is our answer to what charges/what happened, etc.

 

[Vic Moss]

Both bozos plead guilty. One is remorseful, and they other needs to be publicly castigated.

Men plead guilty to charges for flying drones over Bengals, Reds games

“This is a growing problem that poses a direct risk to the players and the individuals in the stands,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth Parker.

www.fox19.com

 

[Big Bro]

... and they other needs to be publicly castigated.

Not castigated, but castrated! Society doesn’t need any of this moron’s offspring running around! If you’ve seen his youtube posts you know what I mean.

 

[Vic Moss]

Not castigated, but castrated! Society doesn’t need any of this moron’s offspring running around! If you’ve seen his youtube posts you know what I mean.

I saw this idiot's video about 10 minutes after he posted it. I had about 5 or 6 folks reach out to me to let me know about it.

 

[Chip]

Minute Entry for proceedings held before Judge Matthew W. McFarland: Change of Plea Hearing as to Dailon Dabney held on 03/14/2023. Present in Court were AUSA Timothy Mangan, Attorney Karen Savir, and Defendant Dailon Dabney. Mr. Dabney entered a plea of guilty to Count 2 of the Indictment (Doc. [2]) and the Court ordered a presentence investigation. Mr. Dabney was released pending sentencing.

So, on to the "presentence investigation," and then sentencing. It will be interesting to see if YT posting and taunting of the FBI is taken into consideration. What is a presentencing investigation?

Excerpt from US Probation office document explains:

One of the most important parts of the presentence investigation process is the probation officer’s interview with the defendant. The interview often takes place immediately following the change of plea hearing or after a guilty verdict if the defendant went to trial. If this is not possible, the probation officer will schedule a time for the presentence report interview, consulting the defendant’s schedule as well as that of his/her attorney.

During the interview the officer may ask the defendant about the offense to which he/she pled or was found guilty, prior criminal history, family background, education, employment, finances, physical and mental health, and alcohol or drug abuse. The probation officer will also ask the defendant to provide the name and contact information for a family member or close friend who can verify the defendant’s personal history information. The probation officer may ask the defendant to provide documentation of information provided during the interview such as financial records, birth/marriage/divorce records, school transcripts, employment records, military service records, medical records, or medical or counseling records. If the defendant is unable or unwilling to provide this documentation, the probation officer will seek to obtain it independently. Probation officers may also visit the defendant’s residence to assess the defendant’s living condition, family relationships and community ties.

Defendants have the right to refuse to answer questions or provide information during the presentence interview. A defendant’s attorney may have a legal or strategic basis in a given case for advising the client not to answer certain questions or to sign releases of information. The decision not to answer a question or provide information will be reported to the court with a notation the decision was made on the advice of counsel. It is possible the lack of information in the report concerning particular subjects may restrict the defendant’s access to programs offered by the Federal Bureau of Prisons if the defendant is incarcerated. Lack of information on some matters may also impact the calculation of the advisory sentencing guidelines. You are encouraged to consult with you attorney regarding what information to provide during the presentence investigation interview.

Sounds to me like it could be a tough interview.

 

[Chip]

The US Attorney dropped Count 1 of the indictment (Operation of Unregistered Drone) and Dabney pled guilty to Count 2 (Violation of a Temporary Flight Restriction).

DABNEY INDICTMENT

COUNT 1

(Operation of Unregistered Drone)

16. Paragraphs 1 - 15 of the Indictment are incorporated and restated herein.

17. On or about January 15, 2022, the defendant, DAILON DABNEY, who owned an aircraft eligible for registration under section 44102, knowingly and willfully operated that aircraft when the aircraft was not registered under section 44103 . In violation of 49 U.S.C. § 46306(b)(5)(A).

COUNT2

(Violation of a Temporary Flight Restriction)

18. Paragraphs 1 - 15 of the Indictment are incorporated and restated herein.

19. On or about January 15, 2022, in the Southern District of Ohio, DAILON DABNEY, while piloting an Unmanned Aircraft System, did knowingly, and without lawful authority, conduct aircraft operations in restricted airspace above Paul Brown Stadium (now Paycor Stadium), a stadium having a seating capacity of 30,000 or more where a National Football League game was occurring, in violation of Title 14, Code of Federal Regulations,§ 99.7, a regulation prescribed under Title 49, United States Code, Section 40103(b)(3). In violation of 49 U.S.C. § 46307 and 40103(b ).

 

[GrayHornet]

I'm thinking that if they took this long to put together a case, got the DOJ involved, charged them criminally, that they have plans to set an example. We'll see!

They will receive a sentence of a Federal misdemeanor. In this case, it is a Class A federal misdemeanor which involves a prison term of one year or less, as long as it’s more than six months, and a maximum fine of $100,000. In my 36 years of practice, I have yet to see anyone serve a full year let alone pay the maximum fine. Maybe they will serve the 6 months.

Even so, one of the persons has a lengthy criminal history and has received room and board by the taxpayers on several occasions. They are, for the most part, insolvent.

 

[GrayHornet]

PSI is the probation departments report on the criminal history and background of the accused.

 

[GrayHornet]

This just in on the other guy:

Tri-State man warns of the consequences of illegally flying drones during sporting events

A Northern Kentucky man wanted to capture the magic of Opening Day, but learned his short drone flight was illegal.

www.wcpo.com

 

[Yorkshire_Pud]

Will he do porridge?

 

[mavic3usa]

Could not find the other UK thread where this would be most appropriate but I thought it would be interested to compare and contrast what has happened in the UK. Certainly the American flight appears to be more egregious but take a listen and then maybe discuss why this is so different:

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

www.youtube.com

 

[mavic3usa]

100% agree with this story from the methods used to detect, using local law enforcement to confront, handling and adjudicating the actions of the rogue pilot, and pretty much everything else related to this incident. I believe the fines are most appropriate (US$2000). I don't have all the facts here but it doesn't look like the entire airport had to be shutdown for hours and panic ensued. To me, this was handled properly and responsibly. I'm not entirely sure the pilot was so innocent and acting unknowingly but I'm shocked that a drone flying so high and so close to a major airport (in Canada) didn't cause everyone to freak out; so perhaps when you can actually track the drone, it bring a level of certainty where competent professionals can use their equipment and training to react quickly and decisively.

Drone pilot fined $3021 for incursion at YOW - InDro Robotics

A drone pilot who flew without authorisation next to the Ottawa International Airport (YOW) has been fined $3021 by Transport Canada.

indrorobotics.ca

 

[mavic3usa]

And then we have these incidents from one rogue pilot which sounds like it amounts to criminal activity and not mistakes or carelessness.

Drone pilot cops to gob-smacking criminal drone rule violations

A California man pleads guilty to three outrageous rule violations for having flown his drone – intentionally – near piloted aircraft.

dronedj.com

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

Wow, the latest few posts links certainly show there are some absolute idiots getting their hands on drones.

Even without knowledge of drone rules, which I find would be almost impossible to not be a little aware of nowadays, anyone with a small % of brain cells should be able to work out why flying anywhere near manned aircraft or large gatherings of people is not a good idea in any way, shape, or form.

It's obviously still only a very tiny fraction of 0.5% of drone owners doing such things, but these news stories love picking up on them and often painting all the hobby in a bad light.
Then of course legislators see a great way to make themselves look proactive in this dangerous pastime, authorities in some of the airspace regulator bodies see a way to further justify their existence.

 

[Yorkshire_Pud]

Wow, the latest few posts links certainly show there are some absolute idiots getting their hands on drones.

have a look at Help lost drone logs. Battery went 50% to 13% almost immediately.

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

have a look at Help lost drone logs. Battery went 50% to 13% almost immediately.

Brain cell balances need to be checked before flights too by the looks, if unbalanced don't unpack the drone !

Best thing that can happen to that sort of pilot, whether flying ignorant or just blatantly idiotic, is they lose their drone 'safely' on its maiden flight.

I'm all for trying to educate the ignorant types, many would be open to learning their mistaken flight habits.
I certainly made a few little minor rule errors early on which I learned about quickly online.