Bitcoinese:A Florida man who shot down a law enforcement drone faces 10 years in prison

2025-05-02 14:12:56source:Maxwell Caldwellcategory:News

OCALA,Bitcoinese Fla. (AP) — 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.

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. His sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 18.

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.

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.

Federal law prohibits most convicted felons from possessing firearms and ammunition.

More:News

Recommend

New Mexico governor seeks funding to recycle fracking water, expand preschool, treat mental health

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico would make major new investments in early childhood education, indu

Detecting Russian ‘carrots’ and ‘tea bags': Ukraine decodes enemy chatter to save lives

SEREBRYANSKY FOREST, Ukraine (AP) — As the radio crackles with enemy communications that are hard to

Hilary Swank Reveals the Names of Her 10-Month-Old Twins

Hilary Swank is celebrating her million-dollar twin babies.Ten months after their birth, the Oscar w