The US Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland announced that the individual who flew his drone over an NFL stadium back in January has pleaded guilty to violating national defense airspace. While the list is small, this adds to the slowly growing list of cases where bad drone operators are finally getting punished for their crimes.
Probation, a fine, and community service are what a magistrate decided was the proper punishment for Alexis Perez Suarez, 43, of Baltimore, Maryland, for flying over the Steelers-Ravens playoff game last January. As with all professional sporting events in recent years, the FAA restricted the airspace above M&T Bank Stadium and all other NFL stadiums during the season to prevent any nefarious drones or aircraft.
Suarez, however, pleaded guilty to knowingly and willfully breaking that airspace restriction with his drone, flying over the packed stadium and delaying the game in the meantime.
The damage? A $500 fine, one year of supervised probation, and 100 hours of community service. It is rather light compared to what other offenders have seen for similar offenses.
“Federal laws regulating the use of drones exist for a reason: to protect people and keep our skies safe,” Special Agent in Charge Greg Thompson of the U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General, Mid-Atlantic Regional Office said. “Flying drones illegally—especially over crowded sporting events—is reckless and dangerous.”
What is surprising is that nowhere in the charge details does it state if the offender will be banned from obtaining an FAA license or losing his if he already has one. The terms of his probation were not made public, and it could be believed that not partaking in flying drones could be part of it.
For now, fines seem to be the number one tool federal magistrates and judges have used to hopefully deter future offenses. It’s hard to believe that jail time will be used for drone offenses that don’t include bodily harm to onlookers or have malicious intent.
Did you think he got off easy? Or, should it have been more severe?
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