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Judge orders man who shot down neighbor's drone to pay $850

By Amy R. Connolly

MODESTO, Calif., June 30 (UPI) -- A man whose son gunned down a drone hovering near his home has 30 days to pay $850 in damages or face further legal action.

Brett McBay, who resides in Modesto, Calif., was ordered to pay the owner of the "hexacopter" after his son downed the drone with a 12-gauge shotgun in late 2014. Owner Eric Joe said McBay offered to only pay a fraction of the replacement cost and accused him of spying, according to an email exchange between the two men.

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"I have to give credit to the McBay school of marksmanship. Still, I'm pretty bummed that I just built this hexacopter only to have it shot down," Joe wrote to McBay in an email, according to court documents. "It was also a little disconcerting to know that the spread of the birdshot/buckshot was in my direction."

Joe said he was flying his homemade drone over his family's walnut grove on Nov. 28 when he heard the distinct bang of the gun. After watching the drone fall from the sky, Joe approached McBay, who acknowledged his son shot the drone. In an email exchange that followed, the men attempted to hash out reimbursement terms, but couldn't come to an agreement.

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Joe wrote in court documents it took him 40 hours and some $1,800 to build the machine. The gunshot caused nearly $700 in damages. McBay said the cost was excessive.

"Perhaps in SF it's normal for folks to have drones hovering over their property but we live in the country for privacy. I will be willing to split the cost with you, but next time let us know when you're testing surveillance equipment in our area," McBay wrote in an email.

The court ruled in Joe's favor in late May, giving McBay 30 days to pay. Attempts to reach McBay were unsuccessful.

The Federal Aviation Administration does not require authorization to operate an unmanned aircraft for hobby and recreational use, but has yet to draft rules regarding drone use.

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