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Crime

Florida Man Could Get 10 Years For Shooting Down a Police Drone (apnews.com) 116

Posted by EditorDavid from the calling-interference dept.
An anonymous reader shared this report from the Associated Press: A man accused of shooting down a law enforcement drone being used at a business near his Florida home could be sentenced to 10 years in federal prison...

Lake County sheriff's deputies responded to a burglary at a 10-acre industrial property in July 2021 in Mount Dora, northwest of Orlando, according to a plea agreement. As deputies used a $29,000 drone in the outdoor search, gunfire from a neighboring residential property caused it to crash into a metal roof and catch fire, prosecutors said. Deputies went to the property and found Goney, who said he shot down the drone with a .22-caliber rifle because it had been "harassing" him, investigators said.
The man had 29 previous felony convictions — and federal law prohibits most convicted felons from possessing firearms and ammunition...
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Florida Man Could Get 10 Years For Shooting Down a Police Drone More

Florida Man Could Get 10 Years For Shooting Down a Police Drone

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  • Interesting that it was a gun possession crime (Score:5, Interesting)

    by FuzzMaster ( 596994 ) on Saturday October 07, 2023 @03:38PM (#63908775)
    Sounds like they didn't charge him with anything related to destroying the drone. So, I guess it's ok to shoot down a drone so long as you are legally allowed to have a gun.
    • If the person could be convicted more easily of the more serious crime, why bother adding on the destruction of property? âoeWere you legally permitted to possess the weapons you were found with?â âoeNoâ âoeIn that case, to save court time how about you just plead what is obvious to the blindest of cane users?â

    • Re:Interesting that it was a gun possession crime (Score:4, Insightful)

      by dfghjk ( 711126 ) on Saturday October 07, 2023 @03:47PM (#63908797)

      "They" are the federal government, who's drone was it?

      Also, it was a plea bargain. Plea bargains often include only a subset of possible charges.

      Go ahead and shoot down your own drone, could work out well for all of us.

      • Re: (Score:3)

        by dfghjk ( 711126 )

        https://www.fox35orlando.com/n... [fox35orlando.com]

        "Florida man accused of shooting down a law enforcement drone in July was indicted Wednesday on charges of possessing a firearm as a convicted felon and destruction of aircraft."

        • AP: Wendell Doyle Goney, 52, of Mount Dora, pleaded guilty Thursday in Ocala federal court to possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, according to court records.

          So not "Florida Man Could Get 10 Years For Shooting Down a Police Drone" per /.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by Luckyo ( 1726890 )

          I remember a time when you went to AP for news and Fox for spin.

          Now, it's reversed.

          But then, we now live in a time where if you want to get most if not all of the relevant sides of the story, fucking Daily Mail is the best place to go. We live in the weirdest timeline.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by PPH ( 736903 )

        who's drone was it?

        From TFA:

        a Lake County Sheriff's Office drone

    • They might have had a hard time arresting him for destroying the drone. In 2016, there was the "drone slayer" case that makes this legally murky.

      https://www.droneuniversities.com/drones/drone-law/understanding-the-drone-slayer-lawsuit-and-its-implications/
      • He admitted to shooting down the drone. IANAL:but it seems to me it would be a slam dunk if they wanted to charge him.

        • Probably a plea deal then, they already got him on firearm possession, if he forced them to do a ballistics tests on bullet fragments and analyze holes in a burnt out plastic drone or whatever else they need to prove it was his gun that did it, then they have that charge hanging over his head. He admitted it, so that's the reward, my educated guess, because they got him on something that will put him away long enough already.

    • Re:Interesting that it was a gun possession crime (Score:4, Informative)

      by russotto ( 537200 ) on Saturday October 07, 2023 @07:38PM (#63909119) Journal

      He was indicted for both possessing a firearm as a felon and destruction of aircraft. He took a plea deal where he pleaded guilty to felon-in-possession and the other charge was dropped.

    • I think it's undetermined in law so far, so the gun possession was an easier one to prosecute and stick.

  • 29 prior felonies, in FL, and he was free... (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Eunomion ( 8640039 ) on Saturday October 07, 2023 @03:43PM (#63908783)
    Gonna go ahead and guess the guy is white.

    • Re:29 prior felonies, in FL, and he was free... (Score:5, Funny)

      by NewtonsLaw ( 409638 ) on Saturday October 07, 2023 @03:43PM (#63908787)

      He maybe white but I think his neck could be red.

      • That's just sunburn. Really.
      • "Rosacea of the neck" is the tribal tattoo of Florida cops and judges, so it would explain a lot.

        Likewise, if the headline were that Florida cops shot a guy with no criminal record 270 times for suspected trespassing, you could probably also guess the race of the subject.

        • Shot for trespassing? This is a recent Florida man, not a woman on 1/6. Different case.

          • "Neo-Nazi terrorist lives matter!" -iAmWaySmarterThanYou (sic)

            • Lmao, omg, is that the latest meme on your ultra lefty message boards? An honorably discharged ex-USAF unarmed mom who was gunned down in cold blood was a neo-Nazi terrorist?

              You guys are so fucking crazy! You make me laugh so hard sometimes it hurts.

              Oh wait, she was white. So that automatically makes her a neo-Nazi terrorist because, as we all know, all whites are neo-Nazi terrorists now. I apologize, carry on!

              • Did you get that little sob story from Alex Jones? Sing your little version of the Horst Wessel Lied a little louder, you sick fuck.

                Trying to undo an election by force... be grateful that Americans are better than you in every single way.

                • Which part is not true?

                  Was she a mom? Yes.
                  Was she retired USAF with honorable discharge? Yes.
                  Was she unarmed? Yes.
                  Was she an immediate threat to the incompetent dumbass on the other side of a barrier she couldn't pass through sufficient to put a few rounds in her with no warning? No.

                  Tell me exactly what I got wrong. I'll listen.

                  • I don't see a link anywhere. Which means you don't care whether the things you say are true, or whether anyone believes them. This is the definition of a troll, so the logical default assumption is that you made it up.

                    • She is a well known public figure. Anyone would comes into a conversation on first post calling her a neo-Nazi terrorist (without a link, I might note, you hypocrite), has no business crying like a bitch about not getting links back. What a pussy you are.

                      The sky is blue. You need a link for that?

                      You're just playing word games because you can't back your statements denigrating a well known public figure. Because you're a liar. And a pussy.

                      If I gave you a link from a news source on your approved list wil

                    • You literally responded to a comment about thousands of racially-motivated police murders with some "Horst Wessel Lied" whataboutism sob story about a 1/6 terrorist, who you insist was not a terrorist despite being in a terrorist attack on the side of the terrorists.

                      Take your hand off your dick and get a job. Stop pretending to be a victim with your foot on other people's throats.

                    • I literally did no such thing except attract your usual no-link trolling and screaming cry baby lying crap about neomnazi terrorists.

                      Please show me the link where she was convicted of terrorism, indicted for terrorism, or any law enforcement agency said she was shot for being a terrorist. You like links so much, you must have a bunch. After all, "Neo Nazi terrorist attack on the Capitol!" is big news! Show your link.

                      Also, show the link for her ties to any neo-Nazi group or past associations with such or

                    • Oh boy, here come the waterworks. Whazzamatta, you see an interracial couple on TV? See a smile on a non-white face somewhere?

                      Go put on your grey Civil War reenactor uniform and sing Dixie in front of a mirror, you'll feel better.

                    • Lol, you're now talking about interracial couples and wtf?

                      Dude, put the bong down.

                      I'm going to wait forever for my link about her being a neo Nazi terrorist, aren't I? I'll even take Vox or DK.

                      You're not going to give me a list of acceptable news sources you'll accept that describes her background, are you?

                      And that's all there is to it. I'm not going to follow you down some weird ass smoke induced rabbit hole about interracial couples. Dude, wtf is that even about on this thread? Damn dude you're smokin

                    • Nothing you say now will change the fact that you reacted to mention of thousands of racially-motivated police murders by singing the Worst Wessel Lied about some 1/6 terrorist.

                      You are clearly just a stereotypical hatemongering piece of shit with nothing of value to say.

    • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

      by rsilvergun ( 571051 )
      I think it's more likely that they were doing something dodgy with the drone and they don't want that dragged out in court. Usually when you see police failed to charge for an obvious crime it's because the police were doing something illegal themselves.

      • Re:29 prior felonies, in FL, and he was free... (Score:5, Interesting)

        by geekmux ( 1040042 ) on Saturday October 07, 2023 @04:17PM (#63908867)

        I think it's more likely that they were doing something dodgy with the drone and they don't want that dragged out in court. Usually when you see police failed to charge for an obvious crime it's because the police were doing something illegal themselves.

        Sounds like an odd-but-worthy defense argument for the accused. Hire a lawyer and find a way to legally keep prodding where the police do NOT want citizens looking, and you might suddenly find all charges dropped.

        • It's not all that hard and it's certainly not uncommon. Although the fact that it looks likely that they did that here makes me think they were up to something unusually bad. I doubt somebody with that many felony convictions has the money to pay a lawyer to go looking for ways to get them off the hook

          That said the other possibility is that the drone was someplace it shouldn't have been and the police don't want the legal precedent of them running drones all over the place to be challenged. That's anothe
        • Thats how we found out about the Stingray celltowers that were supposed to be secret.

        • The sheriff's office doesn't negotiate or determine the final charges of arrests.

          The DA's office does that.

          Sorry to put a pin in your conspiracy bubble but if your lawyer uses that defense you're going to lose your case big time.

          • Perhaps I'll clarify for you now.

            I said to prod where the police do not want you looking, meaning specifically their methods and sources used in the field. Eliminate certain questionable methods and sources and you can reduce a lot of case work for both police and the DA. Parallel construction takes a considerable hit if you're no longer allowed to (illegally/unconstitutionally) gather data for it. And a lawyer can work with or hire investigators to dig exactly where the police and the DA do not want citi

            • You packed a lot into a short post. I'll do my best to reply in pieces. Apologies if I misinterpret something. Not my intent.

              You say that if the police didn't use sketchy methods of investigation they wouldn't have as much work load. This confuses me. Why wouldn't the police want less work? They are salaried not hourly or per case. Can you clarify what you mean here?

              On parallel construction: I agree they shouldn't do sketchy shit but if they also honestly came up with the same information in a legal

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by linuxguy ( 98493 )

          > I think it's more likely that they were doing something dodgy with the drone and they don't want that dragged out in court.

          Either that, or they went for the super low hanging fruit with a guy with 29 previous felony convictions. If they went after him for shooting a drone, they'd have to prove that it was not on his property without a warrant etc. etc. May be possible, but harder to prove. Also, they'd have to show that they had the right to be flying the drone where it was. They'd have to show the

      • Felon-in-possession is a famously easy charge to prove.

        Why take a harder case to the jury when you could take an easy one? It doesn't really matter to anyone (not even the defendant) exactly which section he's found guilt of.

        • Prosecutors routinely drop felon in possession charges because the individual case could make the accused look justified enough that the jury would fail to convict. If there is a precedent set in a court that one felon was justified in having a firearm, such as in a case of a lawful self defense, then that puts the law on trial in future cases. The law is already pretty flimsy on a lifetime ban of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon given recent court decisions on the right to keep and bear arms

          • No one needs a gun to defend their home. Just call the police. A gun in the home is more dangerous than some fantasy breakin mass rape and murder.

            That's what the anti-gun people tell me, anyway.

          • I find it odd that mere possession of something is a crime

            Its not odd that possession is a crime, hell jaywalking used to be a crime.

            What I find is strange that the penalty is so high for possession, 10 years seems to me insanely long, sure if they seriously hurt someone it seems reasonable.

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by dfghjk ( 711126 )

      yes
      https://www.fox13memphis.com/n... [fox13memphis.com]

    • https://news.yahoo.com/convicted-felon-pleads-guilty-gun-000817208.html

      Has his photo

    • >> 29 prior felonies, in FL, and he was free...
      He was freed only so we can have more catchy headlines about this mythical guy called "Florida Man"

  • Man goes to jail for committing 30 felonies, many of which were violence inflicted against someone.

  • Sounds like a perfectly (Score:5, Funny)

    by hdyoung ( 5182939 ) on Saturday October 07, 2023 @04:23PM (#63908879)
    Well adjusted, patriotic florida man. DeSantis should give him a medal. The florida legislature should pass a law that requires schools to teach this guy’s heroic life history to all 4th graders, right after the state-mandated lessons about the slaves benefitting from the experience.

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by armada ( 553343 )
      Do you need a hug?

    • It's not just a Red State problem. Until we start locking them up for good or executing them this problem isn't going away.

      "SPOKANE, Wash-- A 24-time convicted felon has been taken into custody by Spokane Police for allegedly stabbing a person more than a dozen times and killing them. 46-year-old Steven White was arrested for 1st-degree murder on Saturday."

      https://www.kxly.com/news/24-t... [kxly.com].

    • For a moment there I thought you were talking about George Floyd, that hero of the people who only one time put a gun in a pregnant woman's stomach during a burglary to get money for his drug habit. Thanks for clarifying.

      • Ffloyd was a bad guy. That’s well established. However, it’s worth pointing out that “being a bad guy” didnt give Chauvin the constitutional right to slowly choke the life out of him over 5 minutes, after he was totally subdued, in front of a big crowd of onlookers taking cell phone video, while his cop buddies kept the crowd at bay. I consider myself a police supporter, but chauvin is a cold-blooded murderer and his crew were willing accomplices. Ever see “training day”?

        • I never said Floyd wasn't murdered. He was still sainted despite being a piece of shit.

          What does some other unrelated crap have to do with this? Do you want to go back n forth for years on "oh yeah, well tell me why Joe said walls don't work and is now building one with Trump's wall money after he sold off all the wall materials Trump bought?" "Oh yeah, tell me why Trump is a rapist for some locker room talk, when Joe shoved his fingers up a woman's pussy after pinning her to a wall but we don't talk abo

    • I'm sure all this passes as HILARIOUS at your Black Jesus Could Serve a 3rd Term prayer meetings.

  • The headline sounds excessive until you learn that the guy has 29 previous felonies and therefore can't possess firearms. After that, 10 years sounds like not enough.

    29 felonies! Can you imagine? Then he goes and shoots a drone from his yard?! Not a good decision maker. Lol

    • Comment removed based on user account deletion

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by nickovs ( 115935 )

        According to the AP [apnews.com]:

        A record check showed that Goney had 29 Florida felony convictions, including aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, resisting arrest with violence, illegal drug possession, burglary, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

        So not only did the prior felonies include violence and attacks on the police, but he was also well aware that he wasn't allowed to own a firearm.

        • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

          by ghoul ( 157158 )
          So basically was stooped because his car smelled of MJ. Refused a search. Got beaten by a cop and got charged with resisting arrest and assault on a police officer to cover up the beating. Since 20 cops showed up as backup 20 counts of assault on police officer. Tried to snatch his bong back (burglary charge). Total 20+ felony charges. Did a plea deal and plead guilty as could not afford a lawyer and police didnt want to go to trial and admit to an illegal search. Got time served in the plea deal. Sheriff

          • What an amateur. I heard about a guy that so far has accumulated 91(!), felony(!), counts [nypost.com] with courts across multiple states/jurisdictions, some Federal, some State, and each court having to coordinate their schedule to accommodate the alleged criminal defendant.

            And the most felonious guy, allegedly, walks free among us, except when he plays golf, which is fairly often for years already, ...the guy uses a wheelchair to get across the golf course. And many of those indictments are for the espionage act, and

            • Re: (Score:2)

              by SpzToid ( 869795 )
              A competitive sport, being a Florida Man is.

            • That's amazing! How many years did that guy get for 91 felony convictions?

              • That guy, a Florida man as well, is currently out on bail with multiple criminal trials pending towards the 91 felony indictments, plus a civil trial in-progress now for business fraud in New York State. With regards to convictions, only time will tell, but his accountant has already done time at Rikers jail. It's not a good look heading into court -- all of those courts in all of those jurisdictions. (And those courts talk to each other too).

                • So, 29 felony convictions including many violent ones vs. 91 accusations which are all non-violent.

                  Thanks for clarifying.

    • >> 29 felonies! Can you imagine?
      Where do you think all those catchy headlines about a mythical guy called "Florida Man" come from ?

  • Shooting at it with a firearm may be a crime, but what if you threw a rock at it and downed it?
    Does it matter if it's a govt owned or operated?

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Asgard ( 60200 )

      Supposedly it will be treated like if you threw a rock at any other plane/helicopter in the air and downed it -- police or not. You aren't allowed to down random helicopters hovering over your property regardless.

      • Re: Is it a crime to down a drone over your proper (Score:4, Insightful)

        by Frobnicator ( 565869 ) on Saturday October 07, 2023 @07:29PM (#63909113) Journal

        No, it is trickier than that.

        United States v. Causby is probably the last major ruling. At some point close to the ground it is trespassing and he is defending his property. If police didn't have a warrant or exigency, they would have no right to be there. There is no specific limit set by the court or congress, but he owns "at least as much of the space above the ground as he can occupy or use in connection with the land."

        Right now there are a mix of laws around 400 feet, 500 feet, within line of sight, and other variations. Purpose and intent matters under some laws, not others. What is considered trespassing, harassing, or allowed use of airspace is badly defined.

        It will someday be a fascinating case, the trespassing case absolutely will happen eventually, and likely to be appealed to the SCOTUS, but this case would be a terrible vehicle for it.

        • At some point close to the ground it is trespassing and he is defending his property.

          IANAL, but:

          ...gunfire from a neighboring residential property...

          That sounds like the drone was not above his property. Also, he's pretty handy with a .22 rifle.

        • Re: Is it a crime to down a drone over your proper (Score:5, Insightful)

          by ravenshrike ( 808508 ) on Saturday October 07, 2023 @08:09PM (#63909149)

          He managed to hit it with a .22lr. Gonna take a wild guess and say it was pretty damn close to the ground, and probably his property as well.

          • He managed to hit it with a .22lr. Gonna take a wild guess and say it was pretty damn close to the ground, and probably his property as well.

            If you were talking about Arizona man, I would agree with you... but this is Florida man. Florida man can do the most outrageous shit you have ever heard of and it is just a normal Tuesday for them.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by ghoul ( 157158 )
          What if someone sends up a drone in a public street with a telephoto lens and take pictures of you having sex with your wife in your third floor bedroom. You have a reasonable expectation of privacy if there are no other buildings that high around and yet the peeping tom and his toy is not on your property. What does the law say?

  • ... a Florida Man [wikipedia.org] tag.

  • The man had 29 previous felony convictions â" and federal law prohibits most convicted felons from possessing firearms and ammunition...

    But this is Florida, so....

  • if he was born in Florida - he is already serving a life term.
  • faces 10 years in prison" would have been a better headline ... but much less clickbaity.
  • The man isn't getting 10 years for shooting down a police drone, as the title suggests, but for having a firearm, which he was not allowed to have as he was a convict. When a drone flies over your property you actually do have the right to shoot it down, but there are rules you have to follow before you do.
  • If it wasnâ(TM)t a police drone no one would care

  • The man had 29 previous felony convictions — and federal law prohibits most convicted felons from possessing firearms and ammunition...

    Unless this dude was somewhat brown, this is only a minor speed bump here. They want to turn it to a wild west where you are allowed to shoot people that disagree with you with out repercussions.

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