First Arrest Made Involving A UAV In Ledyard, CT, Police Say

Police in Ledyard, CT have arrested a man who refused to stop flying his drone over a youth football game Saturday causing a delay of the game.

The person arrested was 31-year-old Daquawn Knight of New London, CT. The New London newspaper The Day reports that the arrest is the first in the town involving an unmanned aircraft.

Authorities say game officials initially asked Knight to land his drone, but he refused. The police were called, and they found Knight continuing to fly his drone over the game, and told him to land the aircraft. He again refused. After he finally landed the drone safely, he was arrested and charged with breach of peace and interfering with a police officer.

This is not Knight's first run-in with law enforcement, according to the report. He had previously been sentenced to a year in prison after pleading guilty to a reckless endangerment charge in 2010 in Groton, and later received a 66 month sentence in 2011 after pleading guilty to a charge of sale of a controlled substance, also in Groton.

Earlier this year, he had been charged in Norwich, CT with possession of a weapon in a motor vehicle, criminal possession of a handgun, carrying a handgun without a permit, and another controlled substance charge. He was also driving an unregistered motor vehicle with an illegal window tint. He was scheduled to appear in court on those charges on Wednesday, and was out on a $20,000 bond when he was arrested for the drone incident.

His court appearance on the charges related to the drone incident is scheduled for November 10.

(Image from file)

FMI: Original Report