May Seek Civil Charges Against Man Who Blasted His Aircraft From The Sky

After a Bullitt County, KY judge dismissed all charges against William Merideth for shooting down a DJI phantom  quadcopter he said was hovering low over his house, the owner of the aircraft, David Boggs, says he may look into a civil case against the shooter.

Boggs said that the judge refused to look at video and telemetry evidence he says would prove his aircraft was well over 200 feet when Merideth opened fire with a shotgun. Instead, she relied on the testimony of three eyewitnesses who said that the aircraft was "below the treeline," which Boggs says is an outright lie.

Merideth suggests that the video and telemetry may have been doctored, and there is no way to prove that the data was captured from the aircraft he shot down.

Boggs said that the police officers were "shocked" when the judge would not consider the evidence captured from the aircraft. "So in essence what she's (the judge) saying is that if a news helicopter flies over your house you can shoot it down too. There was no regard to the truth whatsoever. None," Boggs told the online tech site Ars Technica.

Merideth said that while he is glad the ruling went his way, he doesn't "feel great" about it. "I wish this had never happened," he told Ars.

Boggs can appeal to a Grand Jury, and says he now feels "compelled" to bring a civil suit against Merideth. He had not filed earlier because prosecutors had said that part of the criminal penalty would have been to replace his damaged aircraft. The incident occurred on his first day of flying the aircraft.

Merideth's supporters are continuing to sell "Droneslayer" t-shirts on eBay in an effort to help offset his legal costs. But Merideth has asked that anyone commenting on the incident to not insult Boggs. "If you have an opinion, keep it civil," he has told supporters.

(Image from file)

FMI: http://bullittcountyfc.com/