Image: WHIO.com
Police in Springfield, Ohio, said a drone operator who was shooting video of a car crash on Saturday refused to give way to an approaching medical helicopter, and arrested him on a felony charge of obstructing official business. Authorities said firefighters and a sheriff’s deputy both asked Kele Stanley to stop flying the drone because the helicopter was coming and he refused, according to The Associated Press. Stanley denies the charges and said he would have landed immediately if he knew the helicopter was en route. He said he was flying the $4,000 drone as a hobby and planned to give the video footage to the local TV news. The helicopter landed safely at the scene.
Stanley was flying the hexacopter about 75 feet above the scene, where a pickup truck had hit a tree, according to the Columbus Dispatch. “If I had known that Care Flight was on the way, my helicopter would have come down immediately,” he said. “There wouldnt have been any dispute … I am not an idiot.”Stanley was released by police after posting $425 bail, and pleaded not guilty to the charges in court on Tuesday.
