Flying a drone can be great enjoyment and a cool way to explore your Nebraska neighborhood from a new perspective. Is there a chance that one of your favorite activities could put you behind bars?
Learn how people face charges for flying a drone. Take steps to protect yourself and your rights.
Smuggling
It is not unheard of for people to use drones for smuggling. In one instance, two men received 13 years in prison for using a drone to smuggle contraband into a prison. In another, nearly 20 people found themselves indicted on charges for utilizing drones to drop phones into prisons.
Privacy
Because drones have cameras, people may use them to spy and eavesdrop on others. Examples of charges for using drones to invade another’s privacy include one neighbor spying on another with a drone, hovering a drone over security officers during a protest and navigating a drone too close to a window. Currently, federal drone privacy laws do not exist.
Injury
You must exercise extreme caution when flying your drone. One drone owner spent time in jail after crashing his craft into a building and injuring two people. Slamming a drone into a building may even result in disorderly conduct charges.
Obstruction
Drone users must exercise caution when flying around first-responder and police helicopters. Flying too close to an aircraft could result in obstruction charges.
Have fun with your drone, but think twice about engaging in activities that a reasonable person may consider criminal activity. You do not want to learn the hard way how seemingly harmless fun may violate another person’s rights, result in injury or make it look as if you engage in criminal activity.
