Pennsylvania man faces up to four years for illegally flying drone over AFC Championship
There was a brief delay in the Chiefs-Ravens AFC Championship due to the presence of a drone. The man responsible for the drone could have more than a brief delay in his freedom.
Via the Associated Press, 44-year-old Matthew Hebert of Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, has been charged with three felony counts relating to the operation of an unregistered drone, serving as an airman without a certificate, and violating national defense airspace.
Drones may not fly within three miles of stadiums that seat at least 30,000 people during NFL games.
Per the report, authorities followed the drone to a nearby neighborhood. They found Hebert, who admitted to operating the drone, Hebert told authorities he bought the drone online in 2021 and uses an app to operate it.
He said the app previously prevented him from operating the drone due to flight restrictions. When it worked during Chiefs-Ravens, he assumed he was allowed to fly it.
If convicted, he faces a maximum of three years in federal prison for knowingly operating an unregistered drone and for knowingly serving as an airman without an airman's certificate, along with a maximum of one year in federal prison for willfully violating United States national defense airspace.
